UNIVERSITY    OF 
€ALIK>RNIA 


i, 


THE  DRY-FLY  FISHERMAN'S 
ENTOMOLOGY 


The  Publishers  regret  that  hitherto  they  have  been 
unable  to  find  an  artist  capable  and  willing  to  undertake 
the  hand-colouring  of  the  flies  figured  in  this  book  in 
such  perfection  as  to  meet  the  standard  of  meticulous 
accuracy  required  by  the  author  for  the  "  A  UTHOR'S 
EDITION."  It  was  originally  intended  that  this 
should  have  been  published  simultaneously  with  the 
present  hand-coloured  edition,  and  it  is  hoped  that  it 
may  still  be  possible  to  issue  the  "AUTHOR'S 
EDITION  "  later  on. 


THE 

DRY-FLY  FISHERMAN'S 
ENTOMOLOGY 


BY 

MARTIN   E.   MOSELY,  F.E.S. 

BEING   A   SUPPLEMENT  TO 

FREDERIC  M.   HALFORD'S 
THE  DRT-FLT  MAN'S  HANDBOOK 


LONDON 

GEORGE  ROUTLEDGE  AND  SONS,  Limited 

NEW  YORK  :    E.   P.   DUTTON   &-  CO. 

192 1 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2007  witii  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


littp://www.arcliive.org/details/dryflyfisliermansOOmosericii 


SHas 


DEDICATED  TO  THE  MEMORY 

OF 

Thk   latk   FREDERIC   M.   HALFORD 


M842051 


PREFACE 

The  Introduction  to  this  book  was  written  ii. 
the  year  191 3.  An  explanation  therefore  be- 
comes due,  setting  forth  the  reasons  for  so  long 
a  delay  in  its  publication.  Perhaps  the  chief 
cause  has  been  the  difficulty  of  finding  an  artist 
with  sufficient  technical  skill  who  could  and 
would  undertake  a  task  of  such  difficulty  as  the 
hand-colouring  of  the  large  number  of  coloured 
figures  shown  on  the  seventeen  plates. 

The  Author  was  particularly  fortunate  in 
securing  the  services  of  Mr.  Banfield,  who 
spared  no  pains  in  painting  the  original  models 
from  which  the  figures  have  been  copied.  Then 
the  European  war  intervened,  and  Mr.  Banfield 
proceeded  on  service  before  the  task  had  been 
completed. 

Other  delays  arose  by  reason  of  the  War  : 
still  more,  again,  by  reason  of  the  Peace.  In 
these  strenuous  times,  the  difficulty  of  finding 
colourists  willing  to  devote  the  time  required  for 
copying  the  minute  details  shown  on  the  plates 
has  become  more  and  more  accentuated. 

Meanwhile,  in  March  1914,  Frederic  M. 
Halford  died,  and  the  Author  was  deprived  of 
the  immense  advantage  of  his  experience  and 


viii  PREFACE 

counsel  in  the  later  stages  of  the  work,  though 
the  text  had  been  read  and  approved  by  him 
before  the  journey  to  Tunis  which  ended  in 
his  death. 

Now  that  the  book  is  about  to  be  pubUshed, 
the  Author  feels  that  the  result  falls  short  of 
the  standard  he  had  set  up.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  cost  of  production  has  far  exceeded  all  pre- 
conceived ideas. 

He  ventures,  nevertheless,  to  hope  that  the 
little  handbook  may  be  of  assistance  to  the 
angler-entomologist  along  the  thorny  paths 
through  which  his  feet  must  tread,  and,  in 
spite  of  its  high  cost,  may  find  some  comer  on 
the  bookshelves  of  the  collector  of  angling 
literature. 

Martin  E.  Mosely. 

1920. 


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6PEMBRIDGE  PLACE. 


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INTRODUCTION 

During  the  past  few  years  suggestions  have 
been  thrown  out  from  time  to  time,  and  from 
various  sources,  that  a  series  of  plates,  or  per- 
haps a  book,  based  on  modern  scientific  ideas, 
and  illustrating  in  colour  the  insects  which  are 
of  main  importance  to  the  dry-fly  fisherman, 
would  not  only  be  of  assistance  to  him  by  the 
river-side,  but  might  also  prove  a  valuable 
supplement  to  the  great  and  immortal  works 
of  Mr.  F.  M.  Halford  on  dry-fly  fishing  and  its 
entomology. 

Shortly  after  the  publication  of  the  French 
translation  of  the  "  Dry-Fly  Man's  Handbook," 
Mr.  Hugh  T.  Sheringham,  the  popular  angling- 
editor  of  the  "  Field,"  was  deputed  by  some 
well-known  French  fly-fishermen  to  approach 
Mr.  Halford  and  endeavour  to  persuade  him 
to  issue  a  supplement  to  his  latest  work,  giving 
in  colour  the  insects  mentioned  in  his  entomo- 
logical chapters. 

A  previous  suggestion  had  been  made  by  Mr. 
J.  Sefton-Sewill  that  a  set  of  plates  of  a  size 
convenient  for  the  pocket,  showing  in  colour  the 
prototypes  of  the  thirty-three  patterns  of  dry- 
flies  appearing  in  the  **  Modern  Development  of 


X  INTRODUCTION 

the  Dry  Fly,"  would  be  welcomed  by  all  dry- 
fly  men  as  a  valuable,  if  not  indispensable, 
item  in  their  sporting  outfit. 

This  book  is  the  direct  outcome  of  these 
suggestions,  and  my  apology  to  the  angling 
public  for  its  authorship  must  be  the  letter 
from  Mr.  Halford,  published  at  his  request,  in 
this  Introduction. 

Although  I  have  been  glad  to  undertake  so 
congenial  a  task,  yet  it  is  with  some  diffidence 
that  I  have  taken  up  the  burden  which  the 
"  master  "  himself  has  laid  down. 

While  embodying  Mr.  Se f ton -Se will's  sugges- 
tion as  to  the  pocket  size,  I  have  somewhat 
enlarged  upon  the  original  idea,  and  have  en- 
deavoured, to  the  best  of  my  ability,  to  produce 
a  work  which,  in  spite  of  its  limitations,  may 
assist  the  angler  in  correctly  determining  some, 
at  any  rate,  of  the  many  insects  he  will  find 
during  the  pursuit  of  his  favourite  pastime. 

I  am  at  once  confronted  with  the  difficulty 
of  deciding,  out  of  the  vast  array  of  insect  life 
with  which  the  fly-fisherman  has  to  deal,  what 
to  include  and  what  to  omit.  Writers  on  the 
fisherman's  entomology  have  usually  confined 
their  descriptions  to  the  flies  which  they  be- 
lieved to  be  more  readily  taken  by  the  feeding 
fish.  As  a  consequence,  it  not  infrequently 
happens  that  an  insect  present  in  great  abund- 
ance by  most  trout  streams,  meets  with  but 
scant  notice,  and  thus  the  fisherman,  left  to 
his  own  resources,  may  have  to  determine  its 
identity  from   insufficient    data.     Possibly  he 


INTRODUCTION  xi 

may  be  driven  to  the  old  and  not  exactly 
scientific  method  of  catching  his  fly  and  en- 
deavouring to  match  it  from  the  nondescript 
medley  of  patterns  reposing  in  his  fly-box. 
The  next  stage  is  to  apply  to  the  living 
insect  the  name  of  the  composition  of  fur, 
quill,  and  feathers  which  it  most  nearly  re- 
sembles, and  hence  we  get  the  confusion  which 
exists  in  the  fishermen's  nomenclature,  and  the 
indiscriminate  application  of  the  names  of 
trout-fly  patterns  to  the  actual  insect.  Hence 
comes  the  historical  hatch  of  wickharn's  fancy, 
the  mystic  blue  dun  which,  like  the  sea-serpent, 
is  frequently  reported  but  never  brought  to 
land.  Hence  comes  the  never-ending  contro- 
versy which  engulfs  the  unfortunate  Welshman's 
button,  the  continual  confusing  of  the  yellow 
sally  with  the  yellow  may  dun,  the  uncertainty 
as  to  the  identity  of  the  february  red  and  the 
early  brown.  Many  other  stumbling-blocks  to 
the  unlearned  in  these  matters  arise  from  this 
unmethodical  practice. 

I  am  therefore  inclined  to  regard  such  a  task 
as  this  with  the  eye  of  the  entomologist  rather 
than  that  of  the  fly-fisherman ;  and  throwing 
aside  such  considerations  as  whether  this  fly 
is  acceptable  to  the  trout,  whether  that  fly 
has  a  bitter  taste  and  is  allowed  to  float  away 
unnoticed,  I  have  attempted  to  describe  the 
flies  which  I  myself  have  found  in*  plenty,  and 
which  I  think  my  brother  anglers  will  also 
meet  with  by  the  river's  bank. 

The  second  difficulty  arises  by  reason  of  the 


xii  INTRODUCTION 

great  preponderance  of  species  of  the  Trich- 
OPTERA  or  caddis-flies  over  those  of  the  Ephe- 
MERiDvE  (by  which  name  are  known  the  duns 
and  spinners)  and  the  Perlid^e  or  stone-flies  ; 
these  are  the  chief  famiHes  with  which  the  dry- 
fly  fisherman  need  concern  himself.  There  are 
at  least  179  described  British  Trichoptera, 
whilst  the  number  of  species  of  both  the  re- 
maining families  combined,  in  so  far  as  these 
islands  are  concerned,  is  but  seventy  or  so. 

The  angler  will  meet  with  so  many  diffe- 
rent species  of  caddis-flies,  that  I  am  tempted 
to  devote  more  space  to  this  branch  of  the 
subject  than  the  actual  necessities  of  the 
fly-tyer  would  seem  to  warrant.  As  Mr. 
Half ord.  strongly  urges,  for  all  practical  pur- 
poses the  artificial  patterns  for  this  family, 
with  the  exception  perhaps  of  the  Welshman's 
button  and  the  grannom,  may  be  limited, 
without  disadvantage  to  the  fisherman,  to  the 
three  representative  types  which  form  part  of 
the  series  of  the  thirty-three  patterns. 

Coloured  drawings  of  the  Trichoptera,  though 
helpful,  are  perhaps  not  quite  so  useful  to  the 
student  as  outline  drawings  of  palpi,  genitalia, 
and  other  important  parts,  and  therefore  for 
the  benefit  of  the  angler  who  would  delve  more 
deeply  into  a  subject  full  of  interest,  in  many 
instances  supplementary  figures  of  these  parts, 
drawn  under  the  microscope,  have  been  given. 

It  has  been  intended  that  this  book  should 
form  merely  a  supplement  to  the  entomo- 
logical chapters  of  the  "  Dry-Fly  Man's  Hand- 


INTRODUCTION  xiii 

book,"  and  I  therefore  assume  that  my  readers 
have  already  made  themselves  conversant  with 
that  work.  I  would  ask  them  to  read  with 
some  care  Mr.  Halford's  opening  remarks  on 
entomology,  found  on  pages  213  to  227  of  the 
Handbook,  as  an  elementary  knowledge  of  the 
subject  will  be  found  necessary  in  order  to  follow 
the  descriptions  accompanying  the  plates  in  this 
book,  and  only  a  few  lines  have  been  written 
here  on  the  general  principles  of  entomology. 

The  publication  of  this  work,  following  so 
closely  along  the  lines  of  Mr.  Halford's  standard 
books  on  the  dry-fly,  is  bound  to  give  rise  to 
occasions  for  comparison  of  these  coloured  re- 
presentations of  the  living  flies  with  the  colours 
of  his  thirty-three  patterns.  Possibly  dis- 
crepancies may  be  pointed  out  between  them. 
In  anticipation  of  such  criticism,  I  must  ask 
my  readers  to  bear  in  mind  that  Mr.  Halford's 
patterns  are  based  on  the  colours  as  seen  from 
the  ventral  side  only  of  the  insects,  whereas  in 
this  work  the  duns  are  shown  mainly  in  profile, 
and  the  spinners  arranged  with  the  dorsal  side 
uppermost. 

I  will  not  detain  the  reader  any  longer,  but 
in  conclusion  m.ust  acknowledge  my  indebted- 
ness to  Mr.  Halford  for  the  great  help  he  has 
rendered  in  the  production  of  this  book,  not  only 
with  his  friendly  counsel,  but  also  in  the  laborious 
task  of  proof-reading  ^  and  correction  ;  to  Mr. 

^  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Halford,  after  this  manuscript  was 
set  up  in  type,  Mr,  William  Senior  and  the  Rev.  A.  E,  Eaton 
most  kindly  undertook  the  task  of  reading  through  the  proofs. 
Their  criticism  and  advice  were  invaluable,  and  I  owe  to  both 
these  gentlemen  my  most  grateful  thanks. 


XIV  INTRODUCTION 

Kenneth  J.  Morton,  who  has  devoted  years  of 
a  busy  Hfe  to  the  study  of  many  Orders  and 
Families  with  which  the  trout  fisherman  has  to 
deal,  and  who  has  never  grudged  the  time  spent 
in  replying  to  my  many  letters,  nor  the  careful 
attention  required  for  the  identification  of  such 
insects  as  I  have  sent  him,  and  who  has  further- 
more added  to  his  many  kindnesses  by  carefull}' 
examining  and,  where  necessary,  correcting  all 
the  drawings  of  genitalia  appearing  in  these 
pages  ;  to  the  Rev.  A.  E.  Eaton,  who  is  the 
authority  the  world  over  on  the  Ephemerid^, 
and  whose  ready  help  has  been  as  invaluable  to 
me  as  it- was  to  Mr.  Halford  in  bygone  days  ; 
to  Mr,  Hugh  T.  Sheringham,  who  at  once 
acceded  to  my  request  to  devote  some  of  his 
busy  hours  to  the  reading  of  my  MS. ;  and, 
finally,  to  those  members  of  the  anghng  public 
who  have  so  readily  responded  to  my  frequent 
requests,  published  in  the  angling  press,  for 
insects  which  frequent  streams  with  which  I 
am  unacquainted. 

MARTIN   E.   MOSELY. 


21  Alexandra  Court, 
Queen's  Gate,  S.W. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Dedication v 

Preface  vii 

Introduction ix 

Introductory  Letter  from  the  late  Fred- 
eric M.  Halford  .        .    between  pp.  xiv  and  xv 

List  of  Plates xvii 

List  of  Illustrations xix 

PART  I 

Chapter  I. — The  Collection  and  Preserva- 
tion OF  Water  Insects     .        .        .        .        i 

Chapter  II. — The  Determination  of  Genera 

and  Species 7 

Chapter  III. — Classification  of  the   Trich- 

OPTERA 16 

PART  II 

The     EPHEMERIDiE 22 

PART   III 
The  Trichoptera 40 

XV 


xvj  CONTENTS 

PART  IV 

PAGE 

The  PERLiDiE,  &c. 70 

PART  V 

Lists    of    described    British    Ephemerid-^, 

Trichoptera,  and  Perlid^e        ...       82 

Index <         .        .     105 


LIST   OF   PLATES 


"Detached  Badger"  at  Work  Frontispiece 

PLATE  FACING   PACK 

1.  The  May-fly.      Nymph,  sub-imago,   male  ; 

imago,  female 24 

2.  Baetis    Species.    Olive    dun,    male ;      dark 

olive  dun,  male,  Olive  spinner,  female, 
spent ;  olive  spinner,  female  ;  olive  spinner, 
male .28 

3.  Pale  Watery  Duns  and   Spinners.     Pale 

watery  dun,  male ;  Pale  watery  spinner, 
female ;  Pale  watery  spinner,  male.  Eyes  of 
Baetis  binoculatus,  B.  scambus,  Ceniroptilum 
luteolum,  and  C  pennulatum,  male  spinners     30 

4.  Iron-Blue     and     C^nis.      Iron-blue     dun, 

male ;  iron-blue  spinner,  female ;  iron- 
blue  spinner,  male  (jenny  spinner),  Canis 
halter ata,  imago,  female        .         .  .         -32 

5.  Ephemerella     ignita.      Blue-winged  olive, 

male ;  sherry  spinner,  male ;  sherry 
spinner,  female,  in  flight ;  sherry  spinner, 
female 34 

6.  Ecdyurus  and  Heptagenia.     March  brown, 

nymph ;  march  brown,  female ;  march 
brown  spinner,  male  (the  great  red  spinner). 
Yellow  may  dun,  male ;  yellow  may 
spinner,  female 36 

7.  Leptophlebia     Species.       Turkey     brown, 

female ;  turkey  brown  spinner,  male  ; 
turkey  brown  spinner,  female.  Claret 
dun,  female 38 

8.  Large     Red      Sedge.      Phryganea      striata, 

female ;    Phyrganea  grandis,  male       .         .     40 
xvii 


xviii  LIST   OF   PLATES 

PLATE  FACING   PAGE 

9.  Caddis  Flies,  Limnophilid^.  Limnophilus 
lunatus,  caddis  case ;  Limnophilus  flavi- 
cornis,  caddis  case  ;  Limnophilus  lunatus, 
female  (the  cinnamon  sedge)  ;  Halesus 
radiatus,  female  (the  caperer)  ;  Ch^top- 
teryx  villosa,  female;  Anaholia  nervosa, 
male ;    Stenophylax  stellatus,  female    .         .     42 

10.  Caddis   Flies,    SERicosTOMAXiDiE.       Sericos- 

toma  personatum  (the  Welshman's  button), 
larva ;  the  Welshman's  button,  male ; 
Notidohia  ciliaris,  male ;  Goera  pilosa, 
female 50 

11.  The  Grannom,  Brack ycentrus  subnubilus. 

Egg  sac  ;  sacs  expanded  ;  *  young  larvae  ; 
larvae  nearly  full-grown  ;  pupal  case ;  female 
fly  with  egg  sac 54 

12.  Caddis  Flies.     Odontocerum  albicorne,  female 

(grey  sedge) ;  Leptocerus  cinereus,  male 
(brown  silverhorns)  ;  Mystacides  azurea, 
male  (black  silverhorns)  ;  Mystacides  longi- 
cornis,  male  (grouse  wing)   .         .         .         .60 

13.  Caddis  Flies.     Rhyacophila  dorsalis,    larva  ; 

pupal  case ;  pupa ;  female.  Philopota- 
mus  montanus,  female  ;  Hydropsyche  in- 
stahilis,  female ;  Chimarrha  marginata, 
female 64 

14.  Stone-Flies,      Perla    maxima,    larva ;     Per- 

lodes  tnicrocephala,  female;  Perlodes  micro- 
cephala,  male        ......     70 

15.  Stone-Flies.     Yellow  sally,    female;    Febru- 

ary red,  female ;  willow  fly,  female ; 
Nemoura  meyeri,  female  ;    Nemoura  meyeri, 

male 72 

16  Diptera,  &c.  Alder,  female;  Chironomus 
tentans,  male  ;  Chironomus  tentans,  female  ; 
brown  ant ;    gravel  bed       .         .         .         -78 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


FIG.  FAGB 

1.  Wings  oi  Hydropsyche  guttata,  3       ,        .        ,  ii 

2.  "Legs  oi  Silonigricornis 21 

3.  Dorsal    roarkings    of: — i.  Ephemera   vulgata, 

2.  Ephemera  lineata.     3.  Ephemera  danioa ,  27 

4.  Hind-wing  of  olive  spinner      .         .         .         .  29 

5.  Hind- wing  of  Baetis  hinoculatus,  pale  watery 

spinner 30 

6.  Hind-wing    of    Centroptilum    luteolum,   pale 

watery  spinner 30 

7.  Hind-wing  of   Centroptilum  pennulatum,  pale 

watery  spinner 30 

8.  Fore- wing  of  Baetis  species      .         .         .         .31 

9.  Fore-wing  of  Centroptilum  species    .         .         .31 

10.  Hind- wing     of     Baetis     pumilus,     iron-blue 

spinner 33 

11.  Hind- wing     of    Ephemerella    ignita,    sherry 

spinner •  35 

12.  Genitalia  of  Ecdyurus  venosus,  S ,   great  red 

spinner 36 

13.  Genitalia  of  Phryganea  striata,  6 ,  from  above  .  41 

14.  Genitalia  of  Phryganea  grandis,  6  ,  from  above  42 

15.  Vu-p^d  grating  oi  Limnophilus  lunatus      .        .  43 

16.  Pupal  grating  of  Limnophilus  rhomhicus  .         .  44 

17.  Genital  a  of  Anaholia  nervosa,  6  ,  from  above  .  45 

18.  Pnpal  grating  oi  Chatopteryx  villosa         .         .  46 

19.  Genita]"a  of  Stenophylax  stcHatus,  6 ,  from  the 

side 48 

20.  Head   of  Serico'^toma  psrsona^um,   6    (Welsh- 

man's button) 50 

xix 


XX  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FIG.  PAGE 

21.  Genitalia  of  Sericostoma  personatum.  i  (Welsh- 

man's button),  from  the  side       .         .         -50 

22.  Pupal  grating  of  Sericostoma  personatum,  the 

Welshman's  button 51 

23.  GenitaUa  of  Notidohia  ciliaris,  6  ,  from  the  side     52 

24.  Goera  pilosa,   S  ,  maxillary  palpus    .         .         •53 

25.  Genitalia  of  Goera  pilosa,  6  ,  from  above  .         .54 

26.  Genitalia  of  Silo  nigricurnis,  <J ,  from  above      .     54 

27.  Larvae  of  Brachycentrus  subnubilus  (grannom) 

emerging  from  the  eggs        .         .         .         .55 

28.  GenitaUa  of  Brachycentrus  subnubilus,  i  (gran- 

nom), from  beneath    .         .         .         .         .56 

29.  Pupal    grating   of   Brachycentrus   subnubilus, 

the  grannom 57 

30.  GenitaUa  of  Lepidostoma  hirtum,  i  ,  from  above     58 

31.  Odontocerum  alhicorne,  6 ,  portion  of  antenna, 

highly  magnified 59 

32.  GenitaUa  of  Leptocerus  cinereus,  s  ,  from  the  side    60 

33.  Hooks  connecting  the  anterior  and  posterior 

wings  of  Mystacides  nigra    .         .         .         .62 

34.  Genitalia  of  Mystacides  nigra,  6  ,  from  above   .     62 

35.  GenitaUa  of  Hydropsyche  guttata,  6  -         .         .64 

36.  Genitalia  of  Polycentropus  flavomaculatus,  i  , 

from  the  side 65 

37.  GenitaUa  of  Ryacophila  dorsalis,  S ,  from   the 

side.     Dorsal  plate      .         .         .         .         -67 

38.  Genitalia  of  Agapetus  fuscipes,  S  ,  from  above      68 

39.  Genitalia  of  Glossosoma  vernale,  i  ,  from  the  side    69 

40.  Perla  maxima,  9  ,  hind-wing   .         .         .         -72 

41.  Perla  cephalotes,  9  ,  hind-wing  .         .         -72, 

42.  Genitalia  of  Leuctra  geniculata,  <J ,  from  above     75 

43.  \Vings  of  Leuctra  hippopus,  S  ,         .         .         .76 


THE 


Dry-Fly  Fisherman's 
Entomology 


BY 

MARTIN  E.  MOSELY,  F.E.S. 


THE  MARCH  BROWN 

A  CORRECTION 


GEORGE  ROUTLEDGE  &  SONS,  LTD, 

68-74  CARTER  LANE,  LONDON,  E.C4 
1932 


THE  DRY-FLY  FISHERMAN'S 
ENTOMOLOGY 

BY 

MARTIN  E.  MOSELY,  F.E.S. 

With  Photogravure  Portrait  and  i6  Plates,  giving 

72   Hand-coloured   examples   of  natural  flies   of 

interest  to  the  trout-fisherman,  as  well  as  numerous 

text  illustrations. 

Bound  in  waterproof  material,  with  flap,  42s.  net. 


"  The  hand-coloured  figures  of  seventy -two  different 
flies  which  are  given  on  sixteen  plates  seem  to  us  to  be 
very  near  perfection  as  exact  representations." — 

The  Field. 

"  We  do  not  remember  anywhere  else  to  have  seen 
delineations  and  hues  of  aquatic  insects  rendered  with 
such  perfection  as  here.  ...  In  the  legion  of  fish- 
ing books  that  are  being  produced  there  was  real  need 
for  this,  which  is  not  strictly  a  fishing  book  at  all  and  it 
fulfils  that  need  most  admirably." — The  Times. 

"  A  Dr}''-Fly  Classic.  No  dr^^-fly  angler's  library 
will  be  complete  without  this  book,  nor  will  he  be  con- 
tent to  keep  it  as  a  shelf  ornament." — Liverpool  Courier. 

"  The  pictures  of  insect  life  given  are  exquisite  both 
as  to  their  form  and  the  delicate  and  life-like  tints  of 
colour." — Forest  and  Stream  (America). 

"  This  little  book  is  one  all  dry-fly  men  ought  to  have, 
also  all  collectors  of  angling  books,  as  I  think  it  is  'going 
to  be  one  of  the  items  which  will  increase  in  value." 

The  Fishing  Gazette. 

"  It  should  be  in  the  library  of  every  naturalist  and 
of  every  fisherman." — Shooting  Times. 


THE   MARCH    BROWN 

A  Correction  by  the  Author 

Trout-fishermen  for  many  generations  have 
been  puzzled  by  the  appearance  on  the  river  of 
the  March  Brown  during  the  summer  and  autumn 
months.  They  have  considered,  surely  with 
reason,  that  the  presence  of  a  fly  whose  name  is 
associated  with  the  month  of  March,  should  be 
confined,  more  or  less,  to  the  early  part  of  the 
year. 

It  was  only  in  the  spring  of  1931  that  an 
explanation  was  forthcoming.  The  fisherman's 
name,  March  Brown,  covers  two  distinct  flies 
which  are  not  only  different  species  but  belong  to 
different  genera. 

The  true  March  Brown  has  now  been  found  to 
be  Rhithrogena  haarupi,  a  fly  described  by  Dr.  P. 
Esben-Petersen  in  Denmark  in  1909  and,  until 
1932,  unrecorded  in  the  list  of  British  Ephemeridae. 

It  occurs  in  vast  numbers  during  late  March, 
April  and  sometimes  early  May,  on  many  of  our 
rivers,  more  particularly  the  Tweed. 

This  fly,  for  more  than  three-quarters  of  a 
century,  has  been  confused,  by  fishermen  and 
entomologists  alike,  with  another  insect,  Ecdyurus 
venosus.  The  mistake  originated  in  a  faulty 
determination  in  the  fifth  edition  of  Ronalds's 
Fly-Fishers'     Entomology.      "  Piscator ",     the 


editor  of  this  edition,  misnamed  the  March  Brown 
Ba'etis  longicauda — thus  associating  it  with 
another  and  quite  distinct  insect.  Eaton,  in  his 
monograph  on  Recent  Ephemeridae,  wrongly 
united  longicauda  and  venosus  under  the  name 
venosus,  as  one  and  the  same,  transferring  them 


<^ 


By  permission  of  Anxai,s  and  Maoazxsb  of  Nati'ral  Hist 
Fig.   1.     Rhithrogena  haarupi 

to  the  genus  Ecdyurus,  and  the  March  Brown  has 
been  known  as  Ecdyurus  venosus  ever  since. 

Mr.  K.  G.  Blair,  in  1931,  separated  the  two 
species  again  and  proved  that  Ecdyurus  longicauda 
was  in  fact  the  Autumn  Dun. 

Ecdyurus  venosus  differs  in  its  habits  from  the 
true  March  Brown.  The  latter  insect  appears  on 
the  water  during  early  spring  in  great  numbers 
in  a  succession  of  hatches  throughout  the  day. 
One  moment  there  is  not  a  fly  to  be  seen  :   the 


Ill 

next,  the  surface  is  covered  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach  with  myriads  of  this  dingy-brown  insect. 
Presently  they  are  all  gone  and,  perhaps,  in  an 
hour  or  so,  a  fresh  hatch  takes  place. 

The  Ecdyurus  species  is  less  erratic  and  gener- 
ally, there  is  a  steady  dribbling  hatch,  from  mid- 


By  permission  of  Annals  and  Magazine  of  Natural  Histor 
Fig.  2.     Ecdyurus  venosus 


May  onwards  through  the  season  even  up  to 
October,  if  weather  conditions  should  be  favour- 
able. No  great  number  is  present  on  the  water 
at  any  particular  time. 

These  habits  may  perhaps  furnish  the  fisherman 
with  the  easiest  method  of  distinguishing  the  two 
species,  should  he  wish  to  do  so.  Such  a  dis- 
tinction, excepting  for  purposes  of  accuracy,  is 


IV 


not  necessary  from  a  fishing  point  of  view  since 
two  flies,  so  nearly  alike  that  they  have  deceived 
anglers  and  entomologists  for  generations,  are 
hardly  likely  to  be  separable  by  the  trout,  and  the 
same  artificial  pattern  will  serve  for  either. 

For  the  entomologist,  the  distinctions  lie  in  the 
genitalia  and  the  neuration  of  the  wings.  In 
Ecdyurus  venosus,  the  lobes  of  the  penis  are  very 
broad  and  there  are  numerous  cross-veinlets  in 
the  wings,  more  particularly  towards  the  lower 
margin  of  the  hindwing,  so  that  this  portion 
appears  heavily  shaded.  In  the  imago  or 
spinner,  the  numerous  veinlets  on  the  upper 
margin  of  the  forewing  towards  the  apex  are 
generally  forked.  The  margin  of  the  last  ventral 
segment  is  somewhat  rounded  in  the  male, 
pointed  in  the  female. 

In  Rhithrogena  haarupi,  the  lobes  of  the  penis 
are  narrow  and  cyUndrical ;  the  cross-veinlets 
of  the  wings  are  less  numerous  ;  in  the  imago  the 
veinlets  on  the  upper  and  apical  margin  of  the 
forewing  are  generally  simple,  not  forked  ;  and, 
finally,  the  margin  of  the  terminal  ventral  seg- 
ment takes,  in  the  male,  the  form  of  two  rounded 
lobes  with  a  rounded  excision  between  and  in  the 
female  it  is  excised  and  not  pointed  as  in  Ecdyurus 
venosus. 

In  the  plates  Fig.  i  is  the  true  March  Brown, 
Rhithrogena  haarupi,  and  Fig.  2,  Ecdyurus 
venosus,  both  female  subimagines  or  duns. 


INSECT   LIFE 

AND  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF 
A  TROUT  FISHERY 

BY 

MARTIN  E.  MOSELY,  F.E.S. 

Illustrated  with  57  Reproductions  of  Photographs 
from  nature  by  the  author,  a  plan,  and  a  frontis- 
piece by  Mr.  John  Henderson. 

Bound  in  Leatherette  at  7s.  6d.  net. 


"  The  chapters  on  the  management  of  trout  waters 
are  full  of  good,  practical  advice,  and  so  often  convince 
the  reader  of  error  that  they  can  almost  be  called 
revolutionary.  The  book  should  not  be  overlooked  by 
those  who  like  to  ponder  upon  angling  problems,  and 
especially  by  those  who  have  waters  under  their  control." 
Times  Literary  Supplement. 

"■  We  can  truly  affirm  that  no  owner  of  a  fishery 
should  be  without  this  book,  and  that  he  should  not 
only  have  it  in  his  library,  but  he  should  study  it 
diligently." — Shooting  Times. 

"  Technically  it  is  a  bit  of  work  which  does  the 
publishers  all  credit,  while  the  author  conveys  a  great 
mass  of  information  with  an  economy  of  words.  A  very 
good  little  book  indeed." — Field. 

"  More  and  more  fishermen  are  interesting  themselves 
in  the  food  of  the  fish  they  catch,  and  will  be  grateful  to 
Mr.  Mosely  for  his  concise  and  technical,  if  simple,  study 
of  the  insects  and  weeds  of  trout  streams." — Spectator. 

"  Mr.  Mosely  has  done  the  angling  community  in 
general  good  service  with  his  book.  It  is  extremely 
practical,  and  he  has  brought  together  in  one  volume  a 
mass  of  material  concerning  caddis  and  nymph.  Armed 
with  this  manual  the  angler  can  learn  new  facts  about 
familiar  waters — and,  incidentally,  choose  his  flies  with 
greater  wisdom.  But  its  special  appeal  will  be  to  the  man 
who  wishes  to  develop  his  water  by  improving  the  food 
supply  on  modern  scientific  lines." — Country  Life. 


OTHER  BOOKS  ON  FISHING 


Green,  G.  Garrow.  Trout  Fishing  in  Brooks  : 
its  Science  and  Art.  With  eleven  plates  and 
other  illustrations,  second  impression, 
cr.  8vo,  3s.  6d. 

Grimble,  Augustus.  Salmon  Rivers  of  the 
United  Kingdom.  Three  volumes,  demy 
8vo,  each  los.  6d.  net. 

Salmon  Rivers  of  England  and  Wales.     With 
89  illustrations  and  map. 

Salmon  Rivers  of  Scotland.     With  71  full-page 
plates  and  3  maps. 

Salmon  Rivers  of  Ireland.     With  78  illustra- 
tions and  2  maps. 

Halford,  F.  M.  Modern  Development  of  the 
Dry-Fly.  The  new  Dry-Fly  Patterns,  the 
Manipulations  of  Dressing  them,  and 
Practical  Experiences  of  their  Use.  With 
43  coloured  and  photogravure  plates,  med. 
8vo,  £1  IIS.  6d. 

Scott,  Jock.  Lake  Fishing  for  Salmon,  Trout, 
and  Pike.  Illustrated,  crown  8vo,  about 
6s.  net. 


London  :   George  Routledge  &  Sons,  Ltd. 


The  Dry-Fly  Fisherman's 
Entomology 


PART   1 

CHAPTER    I 

THE  COLLECTION  AND  PRESERVATION  OF 
WATER  INSECTS 

It  will  not  be  out  of  place  if,  in  the  opening  Collecting 
chapter  of  this  book,  I  give  a  few  lines  on  the  insects, 
collection  of  water  insects.  My  own  collecting 
takes  place  solely  on  my  fishing  expeditions, 
and  consequently  I  have  been  obliged  to  reduce 
collecting  material  to  a  compass  which  enables 
it  to  be  disposed  of  in  my  fishing-bag,  supple- 
mented by  my  pockets,  without  unduly  en- 
croaching on  the  space  allotted  to  the  fishing 
tackle. 

A  net  of  some  kind  is  almost  indispensable.  The  net. 
and  mine  was  obtained  from  J.  Gardiner, 
naturalist,  of  High  Holborn.  It  is  a  jointed 
brass  ring  with  a  cheese-cloth  bag,  and  is  fitted 
with  a  clamp,  which  enables  it  to  be  fixed  to 
the  handle  of  my  landing-net,  or  any  stick  of 
a  similar  or  ne'arly  similar  size.  When  not  in 
use,  it  can  be  folded  up  into   quite  a  small 

A 


2     COLLECTION    OF    WATER    INSECTS 

compass  and  put  away  in  the  fishing-bag  until 
wanted.  The  net  will  be  found  of  great  use  for 
the  collection  of  spinners  of  the  Ephemerid^e 
and  many  of  the  caddis-flies. 

When  collecting  duns,  I  seek  an  eddy,  or  a 
spot  where  the  set  of  the  stream  carries  the 
flies  in  under  the  bank,  and  then  lift  them 
off  the  water  on  the  rim  of  my  landing-net. 

Two  tubes  may  be  carried  in  the  waistcoat 
pocket,  each  2  inches  in  length  by  J  inch  in 
diameter,  the  one  containing  collecting  fluid, 
and  the  other  a  few  lumps  of  cyanide  of  potas- 
sium embedded  at  the  bottom  of  the  tube  in 
plaster  of  Paris.  In  another  pocket  may  be 
placed  a  pair  of  magnifying  glasses,  one  giving 
a  magnification  of  about  ten,  and  the  other  of 
about  twenty  diameters.  This  comprises  the 
entire  field  outfit. 

The  collecting  fluid  is  made  up  of  one  part  of 
alcohol  to  two  parts  of  2  per  cent,  formalin 
solution  (described  below),  a  few  crystals  of 
menthol  being  dissolved  in  the  mixture,  which 
should  then  be  filtered. 

On  returning  to  my  headquarters,  I  transfer 
the  insects  in  the  collecting  fluid  to  tubes  or 
glass-stoppered  bottles  containing  a  2  per  cent, 
solution  of  formalin,  made  by  taking  one  part 
of  commercial  formalin,  which  is  a  40  per  cent, 
solution  of  formic  aldehyde,  and  adding  to  it 
nineteen  parts  of  water.  If  insects  are  left  too 
long  in  collecting  fluid,  the  alcohol  contained 
therein  is  apt  to  destroy  the  colour. 

The  flies  collected  in  the  cyanide  tube  I  set 


-     SENDING    INSECTS    BY    POST        3 

out  on  the  ordinary  entomological  setting- 
boards,  and,  when  quite  dry,  transfer  to  my 
cabinet.  The  Trichoptera,  or  caddis-flies,  may 
be  displayed  to  advantage  by  this  method, 
but  the  more  delicate  insects,  such  as  the 
Ephemerid^  and  many  of  the  Perlid/e,  lose 
their  form  and  colour  entirely  during  the  pro- 
cess of  drying,  and  become  so  brittle  that  the 
slightest  breath  of  air  brings  about  their  dis- 
integration. 

Then  comes  the  problem  of  sending  the  sending 
captures  through  the  post,  or  of  taking  them  post. 
to  their  permanent  quarters  in  such  a  manner 
that  they  may  arrive  undamaged.  I  have 
frequently  received  from  correspondents  flies 
which  have  arrived  in  so  fragmentary  a  con- 
dition that  their  correct  determination  has  been 
rendered  impossible.  On  occasions  I  have  re- 
ceived boxes  in  which  caddis,  or  Ephemerid^ 
n3miphs,  have  been  packed  alive,  and  in  most 
cases  these  have  come  to  hand  with  the  con- 
tents in  such  an  advanced  state  of  decom- 
position that  their  instant  destruction  has  been 
required. 

I  would  impress  upon  collectors,  who  may 
be  desirous  of  sending  specimens  by  post, 
that  EPHEMERID.E  or  Perlid^  must  be  pre- 
served in  fluid,  and  that  if  Trichoptera  or 
other  insects  are  sent  dry,  they  should  be 
pinned  through  the  thorax  and  placed  in  ento- 
mological boxes  sold  for  the  purpose,  care 
being  taken  that  the  pins  are  inserted  as 
firmly  as  possible  into  the  cork.    For  single 


MOUNTING    INSECTS    IN    FLUID 


specimens  of  small  size,  I  have  frequently 
used  a  collecting  tube  in  place  of  a  box, 
pinning  the  specimen  securely  to  the  under- 
side of  the  cork. 

If  insects  are  to  be  sent  in  fluid,  then  the 
tube  or  bottle  containing  them  must  be  filled 
with  the  preservative  quite  up  to  the  cork,  so 
that  the  air  is  entirely  excluded.  To  effect 
this,  the  vessel  should  be  filled  to  overflowing, 
and  the  cork  worked  in  by  pressing  it  from 
side  to  side  as  it  is  being  pushed  home.  If  a 
big  air-bubble  is  irxluded,  it  will  travel  up  and 
down  the  tube,  causing  much  damage  to  the 
contents.  I  have  given  up  the  use  of  cotton- 
wool in  the  tubes,  as  recommended  by  Mr. 
Halford,  as  I  found  that  the  legs  and  other 
parts  of  insects  adhered  to  it  and  frequently 
became  detached. 

Trichoptera  with  immensely  long  and  slender 
antennae,  sent  to  me  by  Mr.  Jack  Henderson 
from  so  far  off  a  land  as  the  Federated  Malay 
States,  have  arrived  in  perfect  condition,  owing 
to  the  precaution  of  filling  the  bottle  quite  full 
having  been  observed. 

From  time  to  time  I  have  been  asked  to 
describe  the  method  by  which  specimens  in 
the  Halford  cabinets  at  the  Fly  Fishers'  Club 
are  mounted.  I  propose  to  devote  a  few  lines 
to  the  subject  in  this  chapter. 
Glass  blocks.  The  Specimens  are  mounted  in  glass  blocks, 
which  may  be  obtained  from  Messrs.  F.  H. 
Taylor  &  Sons  of  King's  Cross.  The  blocks  have 
to  be  made  specially  for  the  purpose,  and  con- 


MOUNTING    mSECTS    IN    FLUID      5 

sequently  may  be  cut  to  any  size  required.  In 
the  Halford  cabinets,  blocks  2 J  inches  square 
are  used. 

The  cement  for  securing  the  cover  is  HoUis'  Cement. 
Liquid  Glue,  which  may  be  obtained  from  Mr, 
Charles  Baker,  optician,  of  High  Holborn. 

The  method  of  manipulation  is  as  follows.  Manipuia- 
Clean  the  glass  with  methylated  spirit,  rubbing 
it  with  a  silk  handkerchief,  and  fill  the  cavity 
ground  into  the  block  half -full  of  2  per  cent, 
formalin  solution.  Place  the  insect  in  position, 
and  examine  it  carefully  with  a  lens  to  make 
sure  that  there  is  no  extraneous  matter  adhering. 
The  cement  should  then  be  painted  fairly 
thickly  and  evenly  round  the  flat  top  of  the 
cell,  care  being  taken  that  it  does  not  approach 
the  extreme  edge  of  the  cavity.  Then  fill  up 
the  cavity  until  the  fluid  presents  a  convex 
surface.  The  precaution  should  here  be  ob- 
served of  again  examining  the  contents  of  the 
cavity  with  the  lens  in  case  any  dust  or  hairs 
may  have  dropped  in. 

Take  the  cover,  which  must  be  quite  clean, 
and  breathe  heavily  upon  the  under-side.  Lay 
the  edge  along  the  cemented  edge  of  the  cell, 
and  lower  gradually  into  place,  the  surplus 
fluid  being  partly  driven  out  at  the  opposite 
side.  There  will  remain  a  film  of  fluid  which 
prevents  absolute  contact  between  the  cover 
and  the  cemented  surface.  This  may  be 
drawn  off  by  the  use  of  strips  of  blotting-paper. 
It  is  of  importance  to  avoid  all  pressure,  and, 
when  the  surplus  fluid  has  been  removed,  the 


6      MOUNTING    INSECTS    IN    FLUID 

cover  will  settle  down  into   its  place   by  its 
own  weight. 

Subsequently  the  sides  of  the  cell  should  be 
thickly  painted  with  cement  along  the  line  of 
the  juncture  of  the  cover  with  the  block,  two 
or  three  coats  being  given,  and  an  interval 
of  a  day  or  two  left  between  the  application 
of  each  coat  to  allow  the  cement  to  harden 
thoroughly. 
Varnishing  Finally,  the  cell  may  be  ringed  with  black 
varnish,  for  which  purpose  a  turn-table  is 
required.  At  the  Natural  History  Museum, 
instead  of  varnish,  paper  covers  have  been 
used  to  hide  the  unsightly  corners,  and  they 
seem  to  answer  the  purpose  admirably. 


thecelU 


CHAPTER   II 

THE   DETERMINATION    OF    GENERA    AND    SPECIES 

The  majority  of  anglers  will  no  doubt  be  Determina- 
content  with  the  correct  application  of  the  spedeL 
popular  names,  where  such  exist,  and  to  these 
I  would  recommend  that  the  following  pages 
be  passed  over  and  reference  made  at  once  to 
the  coloured  plates,  which  form,  perhaps,  the 
most  important  feature  of  this  book. 

For  the  benefit  of  the  trout  fisherman  who 
seriously  wishes  to  identify  not  only  the  genus 
but  also  the  species  of  insects  which  his  arti- 
ficial patterns  are  intended  to  represent,  I  will 
describe  the  system  of  examination  which  may 
be  adopted  on  entering  into  the  study  of  the 
families  concerned. 

A  few  general  remarks  may  not  be  out  ofciassifica- 
place.  For  the  purposes  of  classification,  the  '***°' 
insect  kingdom  is  divided  into  what  are  termed 
Orders,  Orders  are  sometimes  divided  into  sub- 
orders.  These  again  are  split  up  into  Families. 
In  the  Families  are  grouped  various  Genera,  and 
the  Genera  themselves  contain  species,  which 
individual  insects  represent.  Insects  showing 
some  slight  difference  from  the  type  of  an 
unimportant  character  are  termed  varieties. 

An  insect  is,  roughly  speaking,  divided  into 


8  THE    ORGANS    OF    INSECTS 

three  main  parts — the  head,  the  thorax,  and 
The  Head,  the  abdomen.  The  head  is  furnished  with 
eyes,  antennce,  the  mouth-parts,  and  in  certain 
species,  organs  supposed  to  diffuse  scent,  or 
to  be  capable  of  guiding  the  male  to  the  female. 
The /in.  The  autenncB  are  regarded  as  sense-organs, 

discharging  olfactory  and  even  auditory  func- 
tions by  means  of  particular  parts.  They  are 
composed  of  numerous  joints,  and  are  inserted 
between  or  in  front  of  the  eyes. 
The  Mouth-  The  mouth-parts  of  insects  are  somewhat 
^"  complicated.    In  the  Orders  with  which  we  are 

here  concerned,  they  consist  of  a  labrum  or 
upper  lip,  a  pair  of  mandibles  or  biting  jaws, 
which  in  the  adult  members  of  the  Ephemerid^ 
and  Trichoptera  ^  are  much  modified  and  even 
atrophied,  a  second  pair  of  jaws,  termed  max- 
illcB,  and  then  the  labium  or  lower  lip,  which  is 
really  made  up  of  a  second  pair  of  maxilla 
welded  to  the  labium. 
The  Palpi.  Attached  to  the  maxillca  are  their  palpi,  which 
are  jointed  processes,  and  organs  of  touch. 
Thus  there  are  usually  four  of  these  pro- 
cesses ^ — ^two  attached  to  the  first  pair  of  maxillce 
and  termed  maxillary  palpi,  and  two  attached 
to  the  second  pair  of  maxillce,  or  the  labium,  and 
called  labial  palpi.    These  palpi  are  of  great 

1  Certain  species  of  the  Trichoptera  are  apparently  able 
to  partake  of  fluid  or  soft  food  by  suction  in  the  absence  of 
serviceable  mandibles.  When  dissecting  specimens  for  micro- 
scope preparations,  I  have  frequently  found  food  in  the  ali- 
mentary canal  in  quite  appreciable  quantities. 

2  In  certain  genera  of  the  Trichoptera  the  palpi  are  atro- 
phied, or  completely  absent. 


THE    ORGANS    OF    INSECTS  9 

importance  in  the  scheme  of  classification  of  the 
Trichoptera. 

Packard   writes:    "Of  the   eyes   of  insects  The  Eyes, 
there  are  two  kinds,  the  simple  and  the  com- 
pound.    Of  the  former  there  are  usually  three, 
arranged  in  a  triangle  near  the  top  of  the  head 
between  the  compound  eyes." 

The  simple  eye,  known  as  the  ocellus,  consists 
of  a  single  lens.  The  compound  eye  is  the 
oculus  or  ommateum,  and  is  composed  of  a  large 
number  of  ocelli  lying  in  close  juxtaposition. 

In  the  EphemeridvE,  the  oculi  of  the  male  are 
invariably  larger  than  those  of  the  female,  and 
are  formed  after  a  somewhat  different  model. 

It  should  be  noted  that  the  presence  or 
absence  of  ocelli  is  of  importance  in  the  correct 
determination  of  genera  in  the  Trichoptera. 

The  thorax  is  made  up  of  three  distinct  The  Thorax 
segments,  each  of  which  carries  a  pair  of  legs,  the 
wings  being  attached,  the  fore-wings  or  wing- 
covers  to  the  second,  and  the  hind-wing,  when 
present,  to  the  third  segment.  The  first  seg- 
ment is  termed  the  prothorax ;  the  second,  the 
mesothorax  ;  and  the  third  the  metathorax. 

The  fore-wing  is  known  entomologically  as 
the  anterior  wing,  and  the  hind-wing  as  the 
posterior  wing. 

Wings  are  composed  of  double  chitinous  mem-  The  wings. 
branes,  strengthened  by  an  elaborate  system 
of  nervures  and  cross  nervures,  of  much  import- 
ance in  furnishing  characters  for  sub-classifica- 
tion. I  give  here  drawings  of  the  anterior  and 
posterior   wings  of  one  of  the  Trichoptera 


10        THE    ORGANS    OF    INSECTS 

species — i.e.  Hydropsyche  guttata — with  the 
various  nervures  and  spaces  between  them 
named.  The  student  will  be  well  advised  to 
master  the  details  shown,  as  constant  references 
are  made  to  them  in  systems  of  classification. 
(Fig.  I.) 

The  leg  is  divided  into  five  parts — the  coxa 
or  hip,  the  trochanter,^  the  femur  or  thigh,  the 
tibia  or  shank,  and  the  tarsus  or  foot.  The 
tarsus  consists  of  one  to  five  segments,  and 
terminates  in  either  one  or  two  claws  called 
ungues,  between  which  is  a  pad  called  the  pul- 
villus.  In  some  genera  of  the  HydropsychidcB, 
in  the  male,  the  outer  claw  is  malformed  or 
is  replaced  by  a  tuft  of  strong  hairs,  the  claws  of 
the  female  being  normal.  The  pulvillus  is  some- 
times regarded  as  a  sixth  segment  of  the  tarsus. 

In  many  Orders  and  FamiHes,  the  legs  are 
furnished  with  spurs  as  well  as  spines  and 
hairs.  The  former  are  usually  of  a  greater 
transparency  than  the  latter,  and  their  arrange- 
ment and  number  are  of  such  importance 
in  the  determination  of  the  Trichoptera 
that  I  have  detailed  them  in  a  special  table 
on  p.  20. 

The  abdomen  as  a  general  rule  is  composed 
of  ten  segments,  and  contains  the  more  import- 

^  There  is  a  doubt  as  to  whether  the  trochanter  should  be 
termed  a  separate  division,  some  writers  considering  it  merely 
a  subdivision  of  the  coxa.  In  certain  genera  of  the  Ephemerid^ 
the  legs  are  atrophied  and  the  joints  formless.  These  insects 
must  pass  the  whole  of  their  adult  life  in  the  air,  the  metamor- 
phosis from  the  sub-imago  to  the  imago  stage  taking  place 
whilst  in  flight. 


NEURATION    OF   WINGS 


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12  LITERATURE 

ant  organs  of  the  body.  In  most  insects  the 
generative  processes  are  situated  at  the  hinder 
end,  and  furnish  very  important  characters  in 
classification.  Here  also  are  inserted,  where 
present,  the  setcB  or  tails. 

So  much  for  general  features.  The  earnest 
student  should  possess  himself  of  "A  Re- 
visional  Monograph  of  Recent  Ephemeridae  or 
May  Fhes,"  by  the  Rev.  A.  E.  Eaton,  M.A., 
published  in  the  "  Transactions  of  the  Linnean 
Society,"  and  secondly,  of  "  A  Monographic 
Revision  and  Synopsis  of  the  Trichoptera  of  the 
European  Fauna,"  by  Robert  McLachlan, 
F.R.S.,  F.L.S.,  published  by  John  Van  Voorst. 
The  Mr.  Eaton  has  very  kindly  allowed  me  to 

rid"/^.**^  publish  here  some  notes  on  the  Ephemerid^, 
which  he  drew  up  in  MS.  for  Mr.  Halford 
many  years  ago,  and  entitled  "  An  Unscientific 
Analytical  Synopsis  of  the  Genera  of  British 
Ephemeridae,  based  upon  the  Adult  Flies  "  (the 
imagines  or  spinners).  Personally,  I  have  found 
these  notes  invaluable,  and  all  trout  fishermen 
may  be  glad  to  avail  themselves  of  the  ready 
help  thus  afforded. 

Mr.  Eaton's  Afi    Ufiscientific    Analytical    Synopsis    of    the 
epSme-'  ^  Genera  of  British  Ephemeridce,  based  upon 

the  Adult  Flies. 

I . — Tail  bristles  three  in  number,  all  nearly  of  the 

same  length ^ 

Tail    bristles    two   in    number,    the    median 

bristle  being  aborted,  or  extremely  rudi- 
mentary     7 

2. — Wings  four  in  number 3 


SYNOPSIS   OF   THE    EPHEMERIDiE    13 

Wings  two  in  number.     Eyes  alike  in  both 

the  sexes  and  rounded  evenly.  Fly  very 
small CiENis. 

3. — Eyes  alike  in  both  sexes,  and  rounded  evenly. 

Fly  of  a  large  or  moderate  size  .         .       4 

Eyes   rounded    evenly   in    the    female,    but 

intersected  transversely  by  an  impressed 
line  in  the  male  (excepting,  perhaps,  in 
Habrophlehia,  which  is  a  fly  of  small  size)  5 
4. — Wings  usually  spotted.  Sexual  forceps-limbs 
of  the  male  four-jointed,  with  the  basal 
joint  short  and  the  next  joint  much  the 
longest Ephemera. 

Wings  spotless.     Forceps-limbs  of  the  male 

three-jointed,  with  the  basal  joint  much 
the  longest         ,         .         .          Potamanthus. 
5. — Front  edge  of  the  hind-wing  somewhat  arched, 
scarcely  at  all  receding  in  the  middle  of 
the  curve 6 

Front  edge  of  the  hind-wing  strongly  angu- 

lated  nearly  in  the  middle,  and  with  a  deep 
sinus  or  recess  immediately  beyond  the 
angle.  Forceps-limbs  of  the  male  three- 
jointed  ;  the  basal  joint,  shorter  than  the 
remainder,  is  dilated  inside  at  the  base ; 
the  other  two  joints  are  rather  long,  and 
resemble  those  of  a  finger  .  Habrophlebia. 
6. — Forceps-limbs  of  the  male  three-jointed,  with 
the  basal  joint  much  larger  than  the  re- 
mainder    ....         Leptophlebia. 

Forceps-limbs    of    the    male    three- jointed ; 

the  intermediate  joint  much  the  longest, 
the  other  joints  very  short  .  Ephemerella. 
7, — Tarsi  of  the  hinder  pairs  of  legs  four-jointed. 
Eyes  of  the  male  divided  into  two  unequal 
parts ;  the  upper  segment,  cylindrical  or 
somewhat  turbinate,  is  facetted  only  on 
its  terminal  surface  :  the  lower  and  much 
smaller  segment,  of  oval  form,  is  facetted 
all  over  with  facets  of  less  diameter  than 
those  of  the  other  segment.     Fly  small      ,       8 


14    SYNOPSIS    OF   THE   EPHEMERID^ 

— —  Hinder  tarsi  five-jointed.  Eyes  of  the  male 
evenly  contoured  and  undivided;  their 
lower  and  lesser  facets  sometimes  different 
in  colour  from  the  upper  and  larger  facets. 
Fly  usually  large        .         .         .         .         .10 

8. — Hind  wings  minute  .....       9 

Hind  wings  completely  absent       .         .   Cloeon. 

g.- -Hind  wings  broad,  obtuse         .         .         .    Baetis. 

Hing  wings  minute,  very  narrow. 

Centroptilum. 

10. — Tarsus  in  the  hinder  legs  shorter  than  the 
tibia,  even  when  subequal  in  length 
thereto ;  its  first  joint  hardly  perceptibly 
shorter  than  the  second ;  the  claws 
mutually  dissimilar,  one  blunt,  the  other 
hooked Ameletus. 

Hind  tarsus  longer  than  the  tibia  ;    its  first 

joint  distinctly  longer  than  the  second  ; 
tarsal  claws  all  narrow  and  hooked.  Siphlurus. 

Hinder  tarsi  shorter  than  the  tibiae         .         .11 

II. — Lobes  of  the  male  intromittent  organ  narrow. 

Femora  usually  marked  in  the  middle 
with  a  dark  spot  or  elongate  streak. 

Rhithrogena. 

Penis  lobes  broad.     Femora  in  some  cases 

dark-banded  in  the  middle,  not  spotted     .     12 
12. — First  joint  of  the  hind  tarsus  shorter  than  the 
second    joint.     Flies    yellowish    in    their 
general    colouring ;      the    wings    of    the 
sub- imago  especially  so    .         .     Heptagenia. 

First  joint  of  the   hind    tarsus  as  long  as 

or  longer  than  the  second  joint.  Flies 
brownish,  varied  with  black  ;  wings  of  the 
sub-imago  greyish,  and  in  some  species 
(e.g.  venosus)  axe  crossed  by  dark  bands 
before  the  moult ....     Ecdyurus. 


Let  us  suppose  that  the  angler  has  caught  his 
fly,  and  being  anxious  to  identify  it,  refers  to 
the  above  table.     The  fly,  we  will  assume,  is  a 


SYNOPSIS    OF   THE   EPHEMERID^    15 

mayfly.  He  examines  it,  and  turning  to  the 
table  finds  :  i.  Tail  bristles  three  in  number, 
all  nearly  of  the  same  length.  This  describes 
the  insect  in  his  hand,  and  at  the  end  of  the  line 
he  finds  the  number  2.  He  refers  to  the  para- 
graph indicated — i.e.  with  the  No.  2  on  the  left- 
hand  side — and  reads,  Wings  four  in  number  .  .  3. 
This  is  also  descriptive  of  his  mayfly,  so  he  dis- 
regards the  alternative  and  goes  on  to  paragraph 
3,  as  directed  on  the  right-hand  side.  Para- 
graph 3  is  a  little  more  complicated,  but  as  his 
fly  is  of  a  fairly  large  size  he  passes  on  to  4, 
and  there  runs  his  quarry  down,  either  by  the 
spotted  wings  or,  with  more  certainty,  the  form 
of  the  forceps-limbs  of  the  male.  If,  however, 
when  at  3,  he  had  accepted  the  alternative,  he 
would  then  have  had  to  pass  on  to  5  or  6,  and 
would  have  found  that  all  the  insects  therein 
described  possessed  forceps-limbs  composed  of 
three  joints,  whereas  in  the  fly  under  examina- 
tion four  joints  are  present,  and  this  should 
send  him  back  again,  and  put  him  on  the  right 
track. 


CHAPTER    III 


CLASSIFICATION    OF   THE   TRICHOPTERA 


Trichop- 

TERA. 


iNiEQUI- 
PALPIA. 


/Equi- 

F\LPIA. 


Families  in 
theJRicn- 

OPTERA. 


The  Trichoptera  are  no  longer  considered  a 
Sub-Order  of  the  Neuroptera,  and  have  been 
classed  as  a  distinct  Order.  They  are  divided  into 
two  main  groups,  according  to  the  relative  num- 
ber of  joints  in  the  maxillary  palpi  of  the  two 
sexes,  the  In.^quipalpia  and  the  iEouiPALPiA. 

Amongst  the  In^quipalpia  are  grouped  the 
families  in  which  the  maxillary  palpi  consist  of 
fewer  than  five  joints  in  the  male,  but  five  joints 
in  the  female. 

In  the  i^QUiPALPiA  the  maxillary  palpi  are 
five- jointed,  and  as  a  rule  alike  in  form  in  both 
sexes.  ^ 

Thus  the  familes  found  in  Britain  are  grouped 
as  follows  : 

In^QUIPALPIA  iEgUIPALPIA 

PhryganeidcB  OdoyitoceridcB 

LimnophilidcB  LeptoceridcB 

SericostomatidcB  Molanjiidce 

HydropsychidcB 

PolycentropidcB 

PsycliomyidcB 

PhilopotamidcB 

Rhyacophilidce 

HydroptilidcB 

*  A  six-jointed  maxillary  palpus  is  a  very  remarkable  feature 
of  a  female  Anisocefitropus  Q)  sent  by  Mr.  J.  Henderson  from 
the  Malay  States,  and  mounted  in  Canada  balsam  in  my 
collection. 


CLASSIFICATION  17 

1  have  departed  from  the  classification  in 
the  "Dry-Fly  Man's  Handbook,"  and  have 
adopted  here  that  of  George  Ulmer,  who  sub- 
divides the  iEguiPALPiA  into  nine  families  as 
against  the  four  described  by  McLachlan. 

The  characters  given  in  the  following  table  character 
apply  to  British  Families.  FamUies. 

In.^quipalpia.  The  males  with  three  or 
four  joints  to  the  maxillary  palpi,  the  females 
with  five  joints. 

PhryganeidcB.  Maxillary  palpi  of  the  male  four- jointed ; 
form  similar  in  both  sexes ;  ocelli  present. 

LimnophilidcB.  Maxillary  palpi  of  the  male  three- 
jointed  ;  form  similar  in  both  sexes ;  ocelli  present. 

SericostomatidcB.  Maxillary  palpi  of  the  male  always 
formed  in  a  different  manner  from  those  of  the 
female ;  very  hairy,  sometimes  covered  with  scales, 
and  with  the  number  of  joints  three,  or  very 
obscure;  ocelli  mostly  absent. 

^Equipalpia.  Maxillary  palpi  five- jointed  in 
both  sexes. 

OdontocendcB.  Maxillary  palpi  strongly  hairy,  having 
the  fifth  joint  not  sub-articulated.  Median  cell 
of  the  anterior  wings  absent.  Discoidal  cell  in 
both  wings  closed.  Between  the  radius  and  the 
first  apical  sector  there  is  a  cross  vein,  or  the 
radius  merges  in  the  first  apical  sector.  The 
second  apical  fork  in  the  anterior  wings  wanting, 
or  only  occasionally  distinct.     Ocelli  absent. 

LeptoceridcB .  Maxillary  palpi  strongly  hairy,  with  the 
last  joint  usually  long  but  simple,  often  flexible ; 
in  some  species  the  fourth  joint  is  also  flexible. ^ 
Anterior  wings  usually  narrow  and  very  hairy. 

^  This  does  not  appear  to  have  been  noticed  in  their  works 
by  writers  on  the  Trichoptera. 

B 


i8    CHARACTERS    OF   THE    FAMILIES 

Median  cell  of  the  anterior  wings  and  the  discoi- 
dal  cell  of  the  posterior  wings  nearly  always  open 
or  absent.  Radius  and  first  apical  sector  normal. 
Second  apical  fork  in  the  anterior  wings  absent, 
though  occasionally  indications  of  it  may  be  seen. 
Ocelli  absent. 

MolannidcB.  Maxillary  palpi  densely  hairy,  the  ter- 
minal joint  not  sub- articulated.  The  median  cell 
and  discoidal  cell  always  absent.  The  nervures 
ending  in  the  apical  margin  reduced  in  numbers. 
Ocelli  absent. 

Hydropsy chidcB.  Maxillary  palpi  but  slightly  hairy, 
the  last  joint  whip-shaped  and  multi-articulate. 
First  apical  fork  always  present  in  the  fore-wings. 
Ocelli  absent ;  the  anterior  tibiae  never  furnished 
with  more  than  two  spurs. 

PolycentropidcB.  Maxillary  palpi  but  slightly  hairy, 
the  last  joint  whip-shaped  and  multi-articulate. 
Ocelli  absent.  Anterior  tibiae  furnished  with  three 
spurs. 

PsychomyidcB.  Maxillary  palpi  but  sUghtly  hairy,  the 

last  joint  whip-shaped  and  multi-articulate.    First 

apical  fork  absent  in  the  anterior  wings.     Ocelli 

absent.     Anterior  tibiae  never  furnished  with  more 

.    than  two  spurs. 

PhilopotamidcB.  Maxillary  palpi  but  slightly  hairy ;  the 
last  joint  whip-shaped  and  multi-articulate. 
Ocelli  present.  Anterior  tibiae  very  seldom 
furnished  with  more  than  two  spurs. 

Rhyacophilidce .  Maxillary  palpi  but  slightly  hairy ;  last 
joint  similar  in  structure  to  the  others,  and  not  sub- 
articulate.  Ocelli  present.  The  anterior  tibiae 
with  three  or  two  spurs.  Pupa  enveloped  in 
a  cocoon. 

Hydro ptil ides.  These  insects  are  so  minute  as  to  be  of 
no  practical  value  to  the  fisherman,  but  to  com- 
plete these  descriptions  I  give  the  following  points  : 
Fore  tibiae  with  never  more  than  one  spur.  Ocelli 
absent  or  present  according  to  genera.  Anterior 
wings  clothed  with  strong,  dense,  "  brushed-up  " 
hairs.     Neuration  greatly  simplified. 


McLACHLAN'S    CLASSIFICATION     19 

McLachlan  classed  the  LeptoceridcB,  Odonto- 
ceridcB,  and  Molannidce  together  in  one  family, 
namely,  the  LeptoceridcB,  and  the  Hydropsy- 
chidcB,  PolycentropidcB,  Psychomyidce,  and  Philo- 
potamidcB  in  another  family,  with  the  general 
name  Hydropsychidce  ;  but  he  suggests  that  his 
classification  must  not  be  considered  final,  and 
that  with  greater  knowledge  of  European  and 
extra-European  forms,  further  subdivision  of 
families  might  become  necessary.  Continental 
writers  have  adopted  all  his  suggestions  and 
ideas  to  this  effect. 

If  the  student  is  unable  to  decide  from  the 
above  general  characters  to  which  of  the 
families  the  insect  under  examination  belongs, 
he  will  derive  assistance  from  the  number  and 
position  of  the  spurs  of  the  legs,  care  being  The  spurs, 
taken"  to  distinguish  between  the  spurs,  which 
are  usually  long  and  transparent,^  and  the 
spines,  generally  darker  in  colour,  with  which 
species  of  certain  genera  are  abundantly  fur- 
nished. Fig.  2  shows  the  position  of  the  spurs 
on  the  tibiae  of  Silo  nigricornis. 

I  have  compiled  a  table  based  on  these  spurs, 
and  have  found  it  of  assistance  in  suggesting 
the  genera,  to  which  reference  may  be  made 
when  attempting  to  identify  some  unfamiliar 
species.     I  give  it  on  the  next  page. 

*  The  spurs  of  a  pair  are  not  always  equal  in  length,  and 
sometimes  differ  in  form  from  each  other.  In  some  genera  the 
male  has  fewer  spurs  than  the  female,  and  a  spur  on  one  pair 
of  legs  may  be  peculiar  in  form,  as  in  the  genera  Colpotauliui 
and  Dipseudopsis ,  of  which  the  former  occurs  in  this  countrv. 


20        THE   SPURS    OF   THE    LEGS 

(The  symbol  $  is  the  entomological  sign  for  the 
male,  and  $  for  the  female  s^x.) 

O.2.2.  M.ystacides,  Setodes,  CEcetis,  Enoicyla. 
0.2.4.  Hydroptila. 
0.3.3.  Chaetopteryx,    S . 

0.3.4.  Agraylea,  Allotrichia,  Ithytrichia,  Orthotrichia. 
Oxyethira,  Micropterna   6  ,  Mesophylax  <J  . 

1.2.2.  Triaenodes,  Erotesis,  Adicella,  CEcetis. 

1.2.3.  Ecclisopteryx. 

1.2.4.  Apatania. 

1.3.3.  Halesus,  Chaetopteryx  9  ,  Drusus. 

1.3.4.  Colpotaulius,      Grammotaulius,      Glyphotaelius, 

Limnophilus,  Anabolia,  Phacopteryx,  Asyn- 
archus,  Stenophylax,  Mesophylax   9 ,  Micr- 
opterna 9  • 
1.4.4.  Chimarrha. 

2.2.2.  Leptocerus. 

2.2.4.  Sericostoma,  Notidobia,  Beraea,  Beraeodes. 

2.3.3.  Brachycentrus. 

2.4.4.  Neuronia,    Phryganea,    Agrypnia,    Goera,    Silo, 

Crunoecia,  Lepidostoma,  Lasiocephala,  Odon- 
tocerum,  Molanna,  Hydropsyche,  Diplec- 
trona,  Philopotamus,  Wormaldia,  Tinodes, 
Lype,  Psychomyia,  Glossosoma,  Agapetus. 
3.4.4.  Plectrocnemia,  Polycentropus,  Holocentropus, 
Cyrnus,  Ecnomus,  Neureclipsis,  Rhyacophila. 

Hints  may  be  obtained,  when  identifying 
species,  from  the  relative  length  of  the  joints  of 
the  maxillary  palpi,  the  arrangement  of  the  wing 
neuration,  and  I  would  refer  my  readers  to  the 
figure  given  on  p.  11  of  the  neuration  of  the  wings 
of  Hydropsyche  guttata.  Finally,  but  most  im- 
portant of  all.  the  student  must  examine  the 
formation  of  the  genitalia  of  the  male  insect 
with  the  utmost  care,  as  differences  in  the 
structure  of  these  parts  give  some  of  the  chief 


LEGS    OF    SILO    NIGRICORNIS      21 

characters    on   which   the   modern   system   of 
classification  is  based. 

I  do  not  propose  to  deal  at  length  with  the 
PERLID.E,  and  the  odds-and-ends  of  insect  life 
which  go  to  furnish  the  trout's  larder.  A  few 
figures  of  these  insects  are  given,  and  these  with 
the  accompanying  descriptions  will  no  doubt 
prove  sufficient  for  the  requirements  of  most 


TR 


TAR 


F  T 

Fig.  2. — Legs  of  St/o  nig-ricornis. 

A.  Anterior  leg.        B.  Median  leg.         C.  Posterior  leg. 

C.  coxa.        TR.  trochanter.         F.  femur.        T.  tibia.        TAR.  tarsus. 

trout  fishermen.  At  the  end  of  this  book  I  give 
complete  lists  of  described  British  Ephemerid^, 
Trichoptera,  and  Perlid^,  and  a  table  show- 
ing the  genera  and  species  of  these  Orders  ob- 
served on  a  typical  chalk  stream,  the  Test,  and 
the  species  that  have  been  sent  me  from  time 
to  time  from  a  typical  rough  country  river, 
the  Derbyshire  Dove ;  giving  in  each  case  the 
jponths  during  which  the  insects  occur, 


PART   II 

The  Ephemerid^ 

Mr.  Halford  in  the  second  part  of  "The  Dry- 
Fly  Man's  Handbook  "  has  dealt  fully  with  the 
metamorphoses  of  the  Ephemerid.e.  I  will 
therefore  content  myself  with  just  stating  the 
bare  fact  that  there  are  four  stages  in  the  life- 
history  of  these  interesting  little  flies — the  egg, 
the  larva  or  nymph,  the  sub-imago,  which 
fishermen  term  the  dun,  and  the  imago,  which 
they  call  the  spinner. 

It  will  be  as  well  for  the  angler  to  bear  in 
mind  that  the  duns  of  both  sexes  are  to  be 
found  on  the  surface  of  the  stream  when  emerg- 
ing from  (generally  called  by  the  fisherman 
"  hatching  out  of  ")  the  nymphal  covering ; 
that  the  female  imago  returns  to  the  water  to 
deposit  her  eggs,  sometimes  even  climbing  down 
seme  weed  stem  or  stone,  and  descending  below 
the  surface  for  this  purpose,  and  subsequently 
falls  "  spent,"  and  is  carried  down  on  the  surface 
by  the  current  with  wings  outstretched ;  but 
that  the  male  imago  is  only  occasionally  present 
on  the  water,  and  then  merely  b}-  the  accident 
of  a  sudden  gust  of  wnd,  or  through  death 


THE    MAYFLY  23 

chancing  to  take  place  when  the  insect  is 
hovering  over  the  river.  Normally,  the  male 
imago  passes  its  existence  in  sheltered  places, 
sometimes  quite  a  long  distance  from  the 
stream  waiting  to  copulate  with  the  female. 
These  points  have  an  important  bearing  on  the 
choice  of  patterns  for  the  day's  fishing. 


Family    . 

.      EPHEMERIDiE 

The  may- 

Genus 

.     Ephemera 

[  danica 
.  \  vulgata 

y  lineata 

fly. 

Species    . 

• 

Plate  I 

There  can  be  few  English,  or  even  British 
fly-fishermen  who  have  not,  at  some  time  or 
other,  made  the  acquaintance  of  at  least  one 
of  the  species  of  Ephemera  found  in  this  country. 
All  three  species  are  popularly  termed  may- 
flies ;  but  in  the  North,  fishermen  sometimes 
apply  the  name  to  insects  forming  part  of  quite 
a  different  group,  Perla  cephalotes  or  Per  la 
maxima,  which  are  Perlid^  or  Stone-flies. 

The  three  species  occurring  in  these  islands 
are  Ephemera  danica,  Ephemera  vulgata,  and 
Ephemera  lineata,  the  last  named  being  rarely 
found.  Mr.  Eaton  describes  them  in  the  follow- 
ing words  : 

*'  Ephemera  vulgata.    The  dorsal  markings  of  Ephemera 
the  abdomen  are  a  pair  of  pitch-brown,  curvi-  ^  ^**^* 
linear  trilateral  spots,  broadest  at  the  base  of 


24  THE    MAYFLY 

the  segment,  and  ending  at  its  thickend  hind/ 
margin  abruptly,  and  a  pair  of  fine  curved 
longitudinal  lines  interposed  between  these 
spots,  often  effaced.  The  ventral  markings  are 
a  pair  of  longitudinal,  sub-parallel,  abbreviated 
fine  black  hues,  and  between  them,  near  the 
base  of  the  segment,  two  shorter  lines,  conver- 
gent towards  each  other.  The  markings  are 
upon  a  very  light  olivaceous  ground  colour." 

Mr.  Eaton  continues  : 

"  No.  I  (Ephemera  vulgata)  inhabits  rather 
warmer  waters  than  No.  2  [Ephemera  danica). 
At  Romsey  I  have  found  the  nymph  of  No.  i 
in  the  ditches  adjoining  the  river.  In  Dorset- 
shire you  would  find  it  the  abundant  species 
along  the  Stour,  near  Blandford  and  Wim- 
bourne,  where  the  banks  and  bed  of  the  river 
are  clayey  or  muddy.  Common  at  Burton-on- 
Trent.  Doubtless  the  most  abundant  species 
in  the  rivers  of  the  eastern  counties." 

Personally,  I  have  only  met  with  E.  vulgata  on 
the  Middlesex  Colne,  finding  it  in  fair  numbers 
at  Uxbridge,  and  on  a  deep  and  sheltered  lake 
up  in  the  hills  near  Romsey,  where  I  have  taken 
one  or  two  specimens. 

To  continue  Mr.  Eaton's  descriptions  : 

"  Ephemera  danica.  The  anterior  four  or 
five  abdominal  dorsal  segments  are  ivory-white, 
marked  on  each  side  at  the  base  with  a  broad 
triangular  pale  cinereous  blotch  which  points 
backwards.  In  some  of  the  hinder  segments 
(which  are  varied  with  pitch-brown  or  very 
intense  brown-ochre  instead  of  cinereous)  some- 


PLATE   1. 


THE  MAY-FLY  {Ephemera  danica) 


Nymph  (male)  Sub-imago  (male) 


Imago  (female) 


PLATE    1 


THE    MAYFLY  25 

times  an  abbreviated  thin  streak  on  each  side 
of  the  dorsal  vessel,  at  the  base  of  the  segment, 
i\>  flanked  by  a  longer  and  broader  tapering 
streak  (represented  sometimes  by  a  triangular 
spot  in  the  anterior  segments),  which  does  not 
extend  either  to  the  side  or  to  the  hind  margin 
of  the  segment  ;  sometimes  these  markings 
coalesce,  so  as  to  leave  an  ivory-white  triangle 
pointing  forward  upon  the  middle  of  the  hind 
margin  of  the  segment.  Ventral  markings,  a 
pair  of  longitudinal  linear  brown-black  streaks. 

"  This  species  usually  inhabits  colder  and 
swifter  waters  than  Ephemera  vulgata.  It  is 
abundant  in  Dovedale,  Derbyshire,  and  in  many 
streams  in  the  North  of  England.  In  Dorset- 
shire it  inhabits  trout  streams  and  the  River 
Axe.  It  would  probably  be  found  in  the 
Itchen,  and  it  may  occur  in  the  Test  above 
Romsey.  It  is  the  mayfly  of  anglers  in  trout 
and  grayling  waters." 

I  would  supplement  the  above  remarks  by 
stating  that  I  have  found  Ephemera  danica  on 
the  Test,  the  Itchen,  the  Taw.  It  is  at  times  so 
plentiful  on  the  Kennet  that  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Thatcham  the  Great  Western  trains 
have  been  invaded,  and  these  prolific  insects  have 
been  found  in  the  railway  carriages.  On  Lough 
Arrow,  near  Boyle,  in  Ireland,  vast  numbers 
appear,  usually  earlier  than  on  south-country 
streams.  In  this  lake  not  only  do  the  very 
largest  trout,  fish  up  to  10  lb.,  feed  upon  the 
spent  imagines,  but  flocks  of  sea-birds  are 
attracted  by  their   advent,  and   I  have  seen 


26  THE    MAYFLY 

black-headed  gulls  hopping  about  amongst  the 
trees  from  t\Vig  to  twig,  with  all  the  agility  of 
the  little  sparrow,  in  their  eagerness  to  take  toll 
of  these  tit-bits  of  the  insect  world. 

Mr.  Eaton  writes  of  Ephemera  lineata  : 

"  Anterior  segments  greenish-grey,  modified 
with  bistre-brown  ;  hinder  segments  more  of 
a  yellowish-brown.  The  dorsal  markings  of 
the  segment  consist  of  longitudinal,  curved,  or 
slightly  sinuous  black  streaks  tapering  at  both 
ends — viz.  in  the  anterior  segments,  two  such 
streaks,  which  are  long,  on  each  side  of  the 
middle  of  the  back ;  in  the  hinder  segment,  be- 
tween these  two  pairs  of  streaks,  two  short  black 
lines  from  the  base  of  the  segments.  Ventral 
markings,  a  pair  of  longitudinal  black  hues. 

"  I  have  met  with  this  species  in  England 
only  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Reading  in  Berks." 

Personally,  I  have  never  found  this  species, 
but  I  give  the  description  in  case  other  angler- 
entomologists  should  be  more  fortunate.  The 
figure  given  in  the  "  Dry-Fly  Man's  Handbook," 
showing  these  markings,  is  reproduced  here  by 
the  kind  permission  of  Mr.  Hal  ford.  Ephemera 
vulgata  and  Ephemera  danica  were  drawn  from 
specimens  in  my  possession,  and  the  single  seg- 
ment showing  the  markings  of  Ephemera  lineata 
is  reproduced  from  a  drawing  by  Mr.  Eaton 
in  the  "  Transactions  of  the  Entomological 
Society."     (Fig.  3.) 

It  should  be  noted  that  Mr.  Eaton's  descrip- 
tions given  above  have  reference  to  the  imagines 
only. 


MARKINGS    OF   THE    SPECIES      27 

The  nymph  shown  is  a  male  Ephemera  danica.  Mayfly- 
I  made  an  attempt  a  year  or  so  ago  to  rear  "^'"^  ' 
this  species  in  an  aquarium  containing  a  varied 
assortment    of    EPHEMERiDiE,    Trichoptera, 
shrimps  and  snails.     I  kept  the  larvae  alive  for 
some  months,  and  was  much  interested  in  watch- 


1  8 

Fig.  3. — Dorsal  markings  of: — 

I.  Ephemera  vulgata.  2.  Ephemera  lineata, 

3.  Ephemera  danica. 


ing  their  method  of  locomotion.  The  sand  and 
grit  on  the  floor  of  the  aquarium  would  heave, 
as  if  a  miniature  earthquake  were  taking  place, 
and  presently  a  head  and  flank  would  appear 
pressed  against  the  glass  as  the  nymph  made 
its  way  along,  parallel  with  the  side  of  the 
aquarium,  several  inches  beneath  the  soil. 
From  time  to   time  a  nymph  WQuld  come 


28  THE    OLIVE    DUNS 

up  to  the  surface  of  the  sand  and  grit  which 
covered  the  bottom,  in  order  to  slough  its 
skin,  to  keep  pace  with  growth,  and  then  everj^ 
Hving  thing  in  the  aquarium  would  set  upon  it, 
and  the  unfortunate  insect  would  be  devoured 
piecemeal.  I  did  not  succeed  in  rearing  a  single 
specimen  to  maturity,  as  the  nymph  is  quite 
helpless  to  defend  itself.  When  disturbed  it 
feigns  death,  and  will  remain  motionless  for  as 
long  a  space  as  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Then 
when  it  thinks  that  the  danger  is  past,  it 
burrows  into  the  soil  with  incredible  rapidity 
by  means  of  its  powerful  forelegs,  median  legs, 
and  wedge-like  head.  It  swims  through  the 
water  with  an  undulating  movement  of  the 
body. 
Spent  gnat.  Spcut  gnat  is  a  term  applied  by  fishermen 
to  the  female  imagines  or  spinners  of  any 
Ephemera  after  the  eggs  have  been  voided  and 
the  insect  is  floating  down  the  stream  ''  spent  " 
from  the  labours  of  egg-laying, .  and  in  a  dead 
or  dying  condition. 


Olive  dun 
and  olive 
spinner. 


Family     .     . 

EPHEMERIDiE 

Genus      .     . 

Baetis 

r  vernus 

rhodani 

Species    .     . 

atrehatinus 

tenax 

I  buceratus 

Plate    II 

Fishermen  in  practice  apply  the  collective 
n^mes  oljve  dun  and  ohve  spinner  to  various 


PLATE  2. 


BAETIS  SPECIES 


Olive  dun  (male>  Dark  olive  dun  (male) 


Olive  spinner  (female,  spent) 


Olive  spinner  (female)  Olive  spinner  (male) 


PLATE  2 


J^ 


THE    OLIVE    DUNS  29 

species  of  the  genus  Baetis,  and  for  all  practical 
angling  purposes  they  are  fully  justified  in  so 
doing.     The  differences  between  the  species  lie 
mainly  in  the  form  of  the  sexual  forceps  of  the 
male,  and  can  only  be  distinguished  by  the  aid 
of  a  powerful  glass.     As  appears  in  the  heading, 
five  species  are  merged  in  the  name  olive  dun. 
One  of  the  distinguishing  features  of  the  genus 
is  the  broad  few-veined 
hind-wing,    of    which    a 
figure      is     here     given 
(Fig.  4). 

The  olive  dun  is  the 
sheet-anchor  of  the  fisher-      Fig.  4.— Hind-wmg  of 
man,     and     is     present  olive  spinner. 

during   every   month   of 

the  fishing  season.  The  dark  olive  appears 
in  the  winter  and  spring,  and  its  identity  has 
not  yet  been  determined.  Whether  its  distinc- 
tive colour  is  a  mere  variation  or  is  peculiar  to 
a  particular  species  is  as  yet  uncertain,  and 
further  investigation  will  be  required  to  throw 
light  upon  this  point. 

When  spent,  the  female  olive  spinner  assumes  Red  spinner 
the  reddish-brown,  or  dead-leaf  colour,  which 
has   given    rise   to   the    popular    name    "red 
spinner." 


30        THE    PALE   WATERY   DUNS 


Pale  watery 
dun  and 
pale  watery 
spinner. 


Family     . 

.    Ephemerid^ 

Genus 

.     Ba'etis 

Species     . 

f  hinoculatus 
'  \  scambus 

Genus 

.     Centroptilum 

Species     . 

( luteolum 
'  \  pennulatum 

Plate  III 
Pale  watery  dun  is  a  name  given  indiscri- 
minately to  the  small  pale  species  of  both 
Ba'etis  and  Centroptilum, 
and  as  with  the  olive  dun 
the  distinctions  are  not 
very  apparent  without 
calling  in  the  aid  of  the 
magnifying  glass. 

The  Ba'etis  species  pas- 
sing under  this  name  are 
hinoculatus  and  scamhus, 
and,  as  is  common  to  the 
Ba'etis  group,  the  hind 
wings  are  comparatively 
broad  (Fig.  5). 

The  Centroptilum  species 
are  luteolum  and  pennul- 
atum. In  the  former  the 
hind  wings  are  acute  at  the 
tips;  in  the  latter  these 
wings  are  rounded,  but 
not  so  broad  as  in  Ba'etis 
(Figs.  6,  7).  The  adult  forms,  the  spinners,  vary 
in  the  colour  of  the  turbinate  eyes  of  the  males 


Fig.  5.— Hind  wing  of 
Ba'etis  hinoculatus. 
Pale  watery  spinner. 


Fig.  6.— Hind  wing  of 

Centroptilum  luteolutn, 

Pale  watery  spinner. 


Fig.  7. — Hind  wing  of 

Centroptihim  pennulatum 

Pale  watery  spinner. 


PLATE  3. 


PALE  WATERY  DUNS  AND  SPINNERS 


Pale  watery  dun  (male) 


Eyes  of 
Baetis  binoculatus,  B.  scambus,  Centroptilum 
luteolum,  C.  pennulatum 


Pale  watery  spinner  Pale  watery  spinner 

(female)  (male) 


PLATE  3. 


ij 


THE    PALE   WATERY    SPINNERS    3I 

according  to  the  species,  and  as  may  be  seen  in 
Plate  III,  in  Ba'etis  hinoculatus  the  eyes  are  lemon 
or  bright  yellow ;  in  Ba'etis  scambus  they  are 
clove  or  sepia-brown  ;  in  Ce7itroptilum  luteolum 
they  are  bright  light  red ;  and  in  Centroptilum 
pennulatiim  light  cadmium-orange.  The  genus 
Ba'etis  may  be  distinguished  from  Centroptilum 
by  the  number  of  lines  between  the  main  ner- 


FiG.  8.— Fore-wing  of  Baetis  species. 


Fig.  9.— Fore-wing  of  Ceniropii/um  species. 

vures  of  the  fore-wings.  It  will  be  found  that 
there  are  two  such  lines  in  Baetis,  and  one  only 
in  Centroptilum.  In  Figs.  8  and  9,  the  differ- 
ence in  neuration  between  the  fore-wings  of 
European  species  of  Baetis  and  Centroptilum 
may  be  observed. 


32    IRON-BLUE  DUNS  AND  SPINNERS 

Family     .     .     EPHEMERiDiE 
Genus       .     .     Baetis 

Species    .     ./^»'«'^»« 
t  niger 

Plate  IV 

The  appearance  of  the  iron-blue  dun  is  sure 
of  a  welcome  from  the  fiy-fisher.  One  of  the 
smallest  of  the  duns,  it  seems  nevertheless  to 
be  a  favourite  with  the  trout,  and  one  may 
confidently  look  forward  to  a  rise  when  this 
fly  is  present  in  any  quantity.  I  remember  one 
morning  on  the  Kennet  watching  little  droves  of 
olive  duns  sailing  down  the  broad,  smooth  river, 
with  here  and  there  an  iron-blue  interspersed 
amongst  them.  A  few  trout  were  busily  en- 
gaged in  picking  out  the  iron-blue  duns, 
allowing  the  olives  to  sail  away  unnoticed  and 
untouched. 

The  autumn  iron-blues  are  smaller  than  those 
appearing  in  the  spring.  It  is  suggested  that 
two  brocds  hatch  out  during  the  season,  the 
spring  flies  being  the  larger.  In  the  plate  the 
iron-blue  and  jenny  spinner  are  drawn  from 
autumn  and  spring  specimens  respectively. 

The  male  spinner  of  the  iron-blue  dun  is  the 
pretty  little  fly  known  as  the  jenny  spinner, 
which  does  not,  however,  often  succeed  in 
tempting  the  trout  to  its  fate.  The  female 
spinner,  on  the  other  hand,  is  a  favourite  article 
in  the  trout's  diet,  and  is  a  minute  insect  with  a 
deep  reddish-brown  body. 


PLATE  4. 


IRON-BLUE  AND  C/ENIS 


Iron-blue  dun  (male)  Ccenis  halterata  spinner 

Autumn  brood  (female) 


Iron-blue  spinner  Iron-blue  spinner  (male) 

(female)  Jenny  spinner 

Spring  brood 


PLATE  4, 


^  ^  / 


■^^^ 


CiENIS 


33 


The  two  species,  Baetis  pumilus  and  Baetis 
niger,  differ  from  all  the  other  British  species  of 
Baetis  in  having  as  a  rule  the  intermediate 
nervure  of  the  hind  wing  forked,  as  shown  in 
Fig.  10. 


Family 

. 

Ephemerid^ 

Genus 

.     .     Ccenis 

'  halterata 

Species 

•     '■ 

harrisella    ' 
dimidiata 

I  nviilorum 

Pla 

TE    IV 

Csenis 


Fig.  io. — Hind  wing  of 

Baetis  pumilus. 

Iron-blue  spinner. 


I  have  given  on  Plate  IV  a  figure  of  Ccenis 
halterata,  one  of  the  larger  species  of  Ccenis,  and 
a  fly  which  does  not  bear  a  popular  name.  A 
curious  feature  about  the 
genus  is  the  rapidity  with 
which  the  change  from  the 
sub -imago  to  the  imago 
takes  place.  The  little  sub- 
imago  will  settle  on  one's 
coat,  dig  its  claws  into  the 
fabric,  and  almost  instantly  the  imago  will 
emerge  and  fly  away  to  join  its  fellows,  leaving 
its  cast-off  clothes  behind.  Frequently  the 
change  takes  place  actually  in  the  air,  and 
imagines  may  be  seen  flying  about  with  the 
cast-off  shucks,  like  bundles  of  old  clothes, 
hanging  around  them  in  rags  and  tatters. 

Of  the  species  mentioned  above,  dimidiata 
and  rivulorum  are  extremely  minute,  and  occur 

c 


34  THE   BLUE-WINGED    OLIVE 

in  clouds  on  warm  summer  afternoons.  C. 
halterata  is  somewhat  larger,  and  the  angler 
may  see  the  sub-imaginal  shucks  in  thousands 
attached  to  walls  and  fences  bordering  the 
river.  The  specimens  in  my  collection  were 
obtained  for  me  by  a  keeper  at  Uxbridge  in 
the  very  early  hours  of  the  morning. 


Family    .     .    Ephemerid^ 
Genus      .     .     Ephemerella 
Species   .     .    ignita 

Plate  V 

blue- winged  A  vcry  useful  fly  to  the  dry-fly  fisherman  is 
the  blue-winged  olive  {Ephemerella  ignita).  It 
is  one  of  the  most  abundant  of  the  Ephemerida 
on  the  south-country  chalk-streams,  and  seems 
to  thrive  equally  well  in  fast  or  sluggish  waters. 
It  appears  on  the  Test  towards  the  end  of  June, 
but  on  the  Kennet  and  some  of  its  tributaries 
much  earlier  in  the  season.  I  have  seen  a 
capital  hatch  on  the  Lamboume  as  early  as 
mid-April ;  in  the  autumn  it  is  a  favourite  food 
of  swifts  and  swallows  at  the  time  of  migration 
on  the  Continent. 

Sherry  The  imago  is  known  as  the  sherry  spinner, 

and  the  female  is  noticeable,  owing  to  its  curious 
method  of  carr5nng  its  eggs  in  a  round  ball 
tucked  away  under  the  abdomen,  and  held  there 
in  position  by  the  last  two  or  three  segments, 
turned  down  over  a  pair  of  projecting  lobes. 
Mr.  Halford,  who  has  likened  the  flight  to  that 


spinner. 


PLATE  5. 


BIvUE-WINGBD  OLIVE  AND  SHERRY  SPINNER 

{Ephemerella  ignita) 


Male  dun  Male  spinner 

Blue-winged  olive  Sherry  spinner 


Female  spinner  in  flight  Female  spinner,  spent 

Sherry  spinner  Sherry  spinner 


1 


PLATE    S 


i^^ 


^^"^^ 


THE    SHERRY    SPINNER  35 

of  a  winged  ant,  writes  that  the  eggs  are 
supported  to  some  extent  by  the  setae,  and 
Mr.  Eaton  also  states  that  he  has  captured 
the  females  with  the  setae  turned  under.  A 
most  careful  observation  of  female  sherry  spin- 
ners, flying  only  a  few  inches  from  my  eyes, 
showed  that  the  setae  are  not  always  carried 
in  this  manner,  but  that  the  egg  sac  may  be 
supported  against  the  lobes  by  the  segments 
of  the  body  alone,  whilst  the  setsp  remain  out- 


FiG.  II.— Hind  wing  of  Ephemerella  ignita. 
Sherry  spinner. 

stretched.  Mr.  Eaton  has  suggested  that  this 
position  may  be  assumed  at  a  later  stage,  after 
the  eggs  have  been  fully  extruded.  As  I  am 
not  famihar  with  the  exact  position  Mr.  Eaton 
and  Mr.  Halford  describe,  I  figure  the  position 
I  have  myself  observed. 

Ephemerella-  ignita  is  almost  unmistakable, 
owing  to  the  presence  of  three  setae,  distin- 
guishing it  from  the  olive-dun  species,  which 
have  but  two.  For  further  identification  I  give 
a  figure  of  the  hind-wing.     (Fig  11.) 


36 


THE    MARCH    BROWN 


Family 

Genus 

Species 


Ephemerid^ 

Ecdyurus 

venosus 


The 
rather 


Plate   VI 

march    brown    {Ecdyurus 
a   striking-looking    fly, 


venosus)  is 
on  account  of 
its  size  and  the  well- 
defined  marking  of 
its  wings.  The  larva 
is  found  under  flat 
stones  in  rapid 
streams.  So  far  as 
I  know,  the  march 
brown  has  not  yet 
been  observed  on  the 
Hampshire  chalk- 
streams,  but  it  occurs 
in  great  numbers  on 
some  of  the  northern 
and  western  rivers  at 
the  beginning  of  the 
season.  The  imago 
is  the  great  red 
spinner  of  Ronald's 
"Fly-Fishermen's  Entomology."  I  give  a  figure 
of  the  genitaha  of  the  male  (Fig.  12).  Closely 
allied  to  the  march  brown,  and  very  similar 
in  the  general  appearance  of  its  spinner,  is  the 
autumn  dun,^  which  occurs  plentifully  on  the 

1  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  establish  the  identity  of  the 
autumn  dun.  It  is  possible  that  more  than  one  species  has 
been  merged  in  Ecdyurus  venosus,  and  further  investigation, 


Fig.  12.— Genitalia  of 

Ecdyurus  venosus,   <J . 

Great  red  spinner. 


PLATE  6. 


ECDYURUS  AND  HEPTAGENIA 


Nymph 


Female  dmi  Male  spinner 

The  great  red  spinner 

Ecdyurus  venosus 
The  march  brown 


Male  dun  Female  spinner 

Heptagenia  sulphurea 
The  little  yellow  may  dun 


PLATE  6. 


^\ 


^. 


THE    YELLOW    MAY    DUN        37 

Dove  towards  the  end  of  the  season.  Other 
species  belonging  to  this  group  are  Ecdyurus 
volitans,  which  is  to  be  found  on  the  Thames, 
and  Ecdyurus  lateralis,  which  differs  consider- 
ably in  appearance  from  the  other  species, 
and  superficially  resembles  Baetis  rhodani, 
one  of  the  olive  duns. 


Family     .       .      EpHEMERID^  TheyeUoM 

Genus      .     .     Heptagenia 
Species    .     .    sulphurea 

Plate  VI 

Heptagenia  sulphurea  is  known  as  the  yellow 
may  dun  in  Great  Britain,  and  the  yellow  hawk 
in  Ireland.  It  is  allied  to  the  march  brown 
in  that  the  larvae  of  both  belong  to  the  group 
which  Pictet,  the  eminent  Swiss  entomologist, 
described  as  "  Flat  larvce,"  which  term  expresses 
the  broad,  squat  appearance  of  the  immature 
insect  when  clinging  to  the  underside  of  stones 
and  rocks. 

The  yellow  may  dun  occurs  abundantly  on 
the  Hampshire  chalk-streams  "  hatching  out  " 
as  evening  advances,  though  the  fly  may  also 
be  seen  during  the  daytime.  Of  a  brilliant 
sulphur  hue,  with  metallic-looking  dark  eyes, 
H.  sulphurea  is  one  of  the  handsomest  of  the 
Ephfmerid^.     Nevertheless,  it  is  possibly  of 

specially  directed  to  the  sub-imago  and  the  nymph ,  may  prove 
the  necessity  of  creating  a  new  species  to  receive  this  fly.  The 
male  genitalia  are  practically  indistinguishable  from  those  of 
the  march  brown. 


38 


THE   TURKEY   BROWN 


little  value  to  the  fisherman,  and  Mr.  Halford 
states  that  he  has  never  yet  found  it  in  the 
autopsies  of  fish  he  has  killed  on  the  Test  or 
Itchen. 

The  imago  is  apt  to  be  confused  with  another 
insect,  Rhithrogena  semicolorata,  which  it  greatly 
resembles.  The  latter  insect  may  be  distin- 
guished by  what  Mr.  Eaton  calls  a  "  sub- 
median,  triangular,  longitudinal  black  streak  " 
on  the  femora.  The  imago  is  often  described  as 
the  yellow  upright,  and  is  extremely  plentiful 
on  many  streams  other  than  chalk-streams. 


Family 

Genus 

Species 


Ephemerid.e 

Leptophlehia 

submarginafa 


Plate  VII 


The  turkey  brown  (Leptophlehia  suhmar- 
ginata)  is  sometimes  confused  with  the  march 
brown,  although  much  smaller,  especially  if 
one  of  its  three  setae  has  been  accidentally 
broken  off.  Usually,  however,  the  magnifying 
glass  will  reveal  the  broken  stump.  The  sub- 
imago  is  a  prettily  marked  insect,  the  wings 
being  shaded  with  dark  brown  or  fawn  colour. 
It  does  not  seem  to  be  much  appreciated  by 
the  trout.  The  female  imago  is  a  handsome 
fly  with  a  rich  plum-coloured  body. 

Closely  allied  is  Leptophlehia  vespertina,  which 
is  known  as  the  claret  dun  in  Ireland,  and 
occm-s  mainly  on  still  waters,  though  it  has  been 


PLATE  7. 


LEPTOPHLEBIA  SPECIES 


Female  dun  Male  spinner 

Leptophlehia  submavginata 
The  turkey  brown 


Turkey  brown  spinner  Leptophlehia  vespertina 

(female)  (female  dun) 

The  claret  dun 


PLATE  7. 


^^\ 


J'W. 


THE    CLARET   DUN  39 

found  on  slow-running  streams.  The  smoky-blue 
wings  of  the  sub-imago  readily  distinguish  it 
from  its  near  relation,  the  turkey  brown,  but 
the  imagines  are  difficult  to  separate  without  the 
microscope.  It  has  been  taken  in  numbers  on 
Lough  Arrow,  and  a  specimen  was  once  sent  me 
by  Mr.  E.  A.  Ferry  from  the  Itchen.  I  have 
taken  it  myself  on  the  Dever,  a  small  tributary  of 
the  Test,  and  here  it  is  found  on  a  very  slow- 
running  portion  of  the  stream  above  a  mill.  A 
figure  of  the  claret  dun  is  given  on  Plate  VII. 

Another  species  of  this  genus  is  Leptophlehia  Lepto- 
marginata.      It   resembles  the  turkey  brown,  marg/^ta. 
but  the  wings  are  not  so  heavily  shaded.     I 
have  found  it  very  plentifully  on  Loch  Tummel 
during  the  early  part  of  the  season,  and  have 
taken  a  single  example  on  the  Test. 


PART   III 

The  Trichoptera 

A  CONSIDERABLE  spacc  has  been  devoted  in 
this  book  to  the  Trichoptera,  or  caddis-flies, 
as  the  group  is  a  large  one  and  the  angler  will 
meet  with  many  species  during  the  hours  he 
spends  by  the  water-side.  For  the  purpose  of 
classification,  McLachlan  has  ranked  the  group 
as  an  Order. 


Family 

Genus 

Species 


Phryganeid^ 

Phryganea 
grandis  and  striata 


Spurs,  2.4.4. 
Plate  VIII 


Phryganea  grandis  and  Phryganea  striata  are 
the  largest  of  the  British  caddis-flies,  the 
female  insects  being  veritable  monsters,  mea- 
suring nearly  two  inches  across  the  wings.  Noc- 
turnal in  their  habits,  both  species  occur  on 
most  of  the  south-country  streams,  and  pass 
indiscriminately  under  the  popular  name,  the 
large  red  sedge.  They  are  found  on  various 
rivers  and  lakes  in  the  north  and  in  Ireland, 


PLATE  8. 

CADDIS  FI.IES 

The  Large  Red  Sedge 


Phryganea  striata 
(female) 


Phryganea  grandis 
(male) 


PLATE  8. 


THE  MURRAUGH       4^ 

where  the  female  of  either  species  is  known  as 
the  "  murraugh." 

Phryganea  striata  appears  late  in  the  evening 
flying  rapidly  over  the  water  close  to  the  sedge- 
lined  banks.  At  Uxbridge,  on  the  Colne,  I 
have  taken  striata  just  at  dusk,  and  then,  when 


Fig.  13. — Genitalia.  o(  Phryganea  siriaia,  <J  , 
from  above. 

almost  dark,  grandis  has  issued  forth.  The  two 
species  may  be  readily  separated  by  the  form 
of  the  male  genitalia,  of  which  outlines  are 
given  in  Figs.  13  and  14  respectively.  The  larvae 
make  cases  entirely  of  vegetable  matter. 


42 


p.    VARIA   AND   OBSOLETA 


Phryganea        Other  species   belonging  to  this  genus   are 

leta,  and      vaHu,  3.  prettily  marked  insect,  which  has  been 

sent    to   me   f»-om  Lough  Arrow   in   Ireland; 


Fig.  14. — Genitatisi  of  Phtyganeagrandis,  S, 
from  above. 


obsoleta,  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Blaenau 
Festiniog;  and  mifwr,  a  comparatively  small 
insect,  from  the  New  Forest. 

Family    .     .     LiMNOPHiLiDiE 

Genus      .     .     Limnophilus 
Species    .     .    lunatus 
Spurs,  1.3.4. 


Plate  IX 

LimnophUus  LimnophUiis  lunatus,  the  cinnamon  sedge,  is 
th^^ciSa-  one  of  the  more  abundant  species  of  Limno- 
mon  sedge,    pj^n^^^  a.nd  occurs  in  fair  numbers  on  the  Hamp- 


PLATE  9. 


CADDIS  FLIES  (Limnophilid^) 


Limnophilus  lunatus  Limnophilus  flavicorms 

Caddis  case  Caddis  case 


Limnophilus  lunatus  Halesus  radiatus 

(female)  (female) 

The  cinnamon  sedge  The  caperer 


Chcetopteryx  villosa  Anabolia  nervosa 

(female)  (male) 


Stenophylax  stellatus 
(female) 


PLATE  9 


THE    CINNAMON    SEDGE 


43 


shire  chalk-streams.  As  may  be  seen  in  the 
plate,  it  is  a  prettily  marked  insect  with  a  well- 
defined  lunate  patch  towards  the  extremity  of 
the  anterior  wings.  The  male  insect  has  a 
green  body,  but  that  of  the  female  is  brown. 
The  caddis  case  of  the  larva  is  usually  composed 


Fig.  15.— Pupal  grating  of  Limnophilus  lunatus. 

of  pieces  of  broken  shells,  and  the  figure  here 
given  has  been  drawn  from  a  caddis  which  was 
reared  in  my  aquarium,  in  which  the  soil  cover- 
ing the  bottom  was  composed  of  a  variety  of 
material.  The  grating  made  by  the  larva  for 
the  purpose  of  sealing  the  caddis  case  when 


44 


LIMNOPHILUS    RHOMBICUS 


about  to  pupate,  varies  very  considerably  in  the 

method  of   construction  from  that  made  by 

species  of  other  famiUes,  notably  the  Sericostom- 

Limnophiius  uttdcB,  and  I  show  this  grating  in  Fig.  15.   Limno- 

rhombicus.    pj^^j^i^^  rhomMcus,  another  species  in  the  same 


Fig.  16.— Pupal  grating  oi  Limnophilus  rhombicus. 

genus,  makes  a  grating  very  similar  in  design, 
shown  in  Fig.  16,  and  I  have  little  doubt  that 
further  investigation  will  prove  that  most,  if  not 
all,  species  of  a  particular  genus  make  gratings 
on  the  same  general  plan. 


ANABOLIA   NERVOSA  45 


Family 

.       .      LlMNOPHILID^ 

Genus 

.     .    Anaholia 

Species 

.     .     nervosa 

Spurs,  1.3.4. 

Plate  IX 

Towards  the  end  of  the  season  a  brownish  Anaboiia 
sedge,  Anaholia  nervosa,  may  be  found  in  con- 


uervosa. 


Fig.  17. — Genitalia  of  Anaboiia  nervosa,  6  ,  from  above. 

siderable  abundance  during  the  daytime  flut- 
tering about  the  reeds  and  sedges  Hning  the 
river-bank.  As  frequently  happens  amongst 
the  caddis-flies,  these  insects  seem  to  occur  in 
two  distinct  sizes,  but  a  minute  examination 
has  not  as  yet  shown  any  structural  difference 
between  them.  I  give  a  drawing  of  the  geni- 
talia of  the  male  in  Fig.  17. 


46 


CH^TOPTERYX    VILLOSA 


Chaetopteryx 
viUosa. 


Family    .     .     Limnophilid^ 
Genus      .     .     Chc^lopteryx 
Species    .     .     villosa 

Spurs,  male,  0.3.3;  female,  1.3.3. 

Plate  IX 

ChcBtopteryx  villosa  is  one  of  the  last  of  the 
caddis-flies  that  the  angler  will  see  during  the 


Fig.  18.— Pupal  grating  of  Chcetopteryx  villosa. 

trout  season.  It  appears  towards  the  end  of 
September,  and  is  to  be  found  by  the  water- 
side during  October  and  November,  and  even  in 
December.    An  interesting  character,  referred 


THE    CAPERER  47 

to  in  an  earlier  chapter,  is  the  difference  in 
the  number  of  spurs  present  in  the  two  sexes, 
the  male  having-  one  less  than  the  female  on  the 
anterior  tibae. 

This  fly  will  be  easily  recognised  by  the  very 
hairy  appearance  of  the  wings,  which  literally 
bristle  with  long  stiff  hairs.  It  is  subject  to 
great  variety  in  size,  and  the  larva  makes  a 
rough  case  of  miscellaneous  material.  I  give  a 
figure  of  the  pupal  grating,  which  has  a  char- 
acter of  its  own,  though  akin  in  construction 
to  those  of  Limnophilus  lunatus  and  rhombicus. 
This  is  to  be  expected,  as  all  three  belong  to 
one  family.  The  reader  should  note  how  widely 
the  grating  differs  from  the  pattern  made  by 
members  of  the  Sericostomatidce  group. 


Family    .     .    LiMNOPHiLiDiE 
Genus      .     .    Halesus 
Species    .     .    radiatus 
Spurs,  1.3.3. 

Plate  IX 
This  insect  is  the  caperer  of  the  trout  fisher-  Haiesus 

"latus, 
caperer. 


man,  and  is  a  large,  strikingly  marked  fly  not  [hJcapei 
Hkely  to  be  confused  with  any  but  the  closely 
allied  species  Halesus  digitatus.     So  nearly  alike  Haiesus 
are  these  two  that  the  popular  name  can  quite  ^s^^^^^s. 
legitimately  be   applied   to  both  species.     On 
the  Test  H.  digitatus  is  not  so  abundant  as  H. 
radiatus  ;  it  is  somewhat  larger,  and  has  slightly 


48    STENOPHYLAX  -STELLATUS 

pointed  anterior  wings.  There  are,  besides, 
important  differences  in  the  structure  of  the 
genitalia. 

The  caperer  is  very  abundant,  late  in  the 
season,  coming  out  of  its  hiding-places  at  dusk. 
The  larva  makes  a  short,  thick  case  roughly 
covered  with  stones. 


Family    .    .    Limnophilid^ 
Genus      .     .     Stenophylax 
ftSSj^"  Species    .     .    sUllatus 

Spurs,  1.3.4. 

Plate  IX 

Towards  the  end  of  July,  and  continuing 
through  August  into  September, 
a  large  brown  sedge  appears  in 
very  great  numbers  just  as  it 
gets  dark.  If  a  collecting  net 
be  swept  through  the  rushes 
and  sedge  by  the  river-side,  it 
will  usually  be  found  to  con- 
tain five  or  six  of  these  big 
Fig.  19.  caddis-flies  running  up  the  side 

Genitalia  of  Sfeno-  j^  g.  great  hurry  to  get  out. 
S^  ^  from  ^  the  ^^^^  ^^  Stcnopkylax  stellatus,  and 
side.  I  think  it   may  be   recognised 

by  the  figure  on  the  plate  and 
the  drawing  of  the  male  genitalia  given  in 
Fig.  19. 


THE   WELSHMAN'S   BUTTON        49 


Family    .     .    Sericostomatid^ 
Genus      .     .     Sericostoma 
Species    .     .    personatum 
Spurs,  2.2.4. 

Plate  X 

Sericostoma  personatum  is  known  in  Hamp-  sencostoma 
shire  as  the  Welshman's  button,  and  is  one  fgrwdshT' 
of  the  day-flying  sedges.  As  a  general  rule  it  g;f°^^ 
appears  in  such  abundance  as  to  prove  a  worthy 
substitute  for  the  mayfly  where  this  insect  has 
become  too  scarce  to  bring  the  big  fish  up  to 
feed.  The  reddish -mahogany  colour  observed 
when  the  insect  "  hatches  "  up  through  the 
water  and  flops  about  on  the  surface,  rapidly 
darkens  with  age  and  exposure  to  light  and  air, 
and  the  flies  seen  on  the  grass  and  sedges  are 
usually  of  a  deep  chestnut -brown.  The  female 
is  variable  in  its  coloration,  and  frequently 
exhibits  white  patches  on  the  wings.  These 
patches  are  so  uniform  where  they  occur  at  all 
that  McLachlan  has  classified  the  flies  bearing 
them  as  varieties.  Sericostoma  multiguttatum  varieties, 
he  describes  as  being  variegated  with  hoary 
pubescence  which  in  S.  analis  is  almost  reduced 
to  a  triangular  spot  at  the  termination  of  the 
seventh  apical  sector. 

It  should  be  observed  that  these  variations 
only  occur  in  the  female  sex. 

The  abnormal  maxillary  palpi  of  the  male 


50        THE    WELSHMAN'S    BUTTON 

form  a  very  striking  feature  of  the  Welshman's 
button,  and  are  shown  in  Fig.  20,  whilst  the 
male  genitalia  appear  in  Fig.  21. 


Fig.  20.—Heaido{Sericosiomapersonatum,  ^{Welshman's 
button) ;  M,  maxillary  palpi ;  l,  labial  palpi. 


Fig.  21. — GenilaMa.  o[  Sericosiomafersonaium,  S 
(Welshman's  button)  from  the  side. 


T  also  give  a  drawing  of  the  grating  with 
which  the  larva  seals  each  extremity  of  its  case 
when  about  to  pupate.  The  half -moon  shaped 
apertures  allow  ingress  and  egress  to  the  water. 


PLATE  10. 


CADDIS  FLIES  (Sericostomatid^) 


Sericostoma  personatum 
Caddis 


Sericostoma  personatum 

(male) 
The  Welshman's  button 


Nolidobia  ciliaris 
(male) 


Go'dra  pilosa 
(female) 


PLATE  10 


NOTIDOBIA    CILIARIS  51 

and  the  surrounding  substance  seems  to  be 
made  of  a  fine  sand  glued  into  a  fairly  hard 
plate  (Fig.  22). 


Fig.  22. — Pupal  grating  of  Sericostoma  personatum^ 
The  Welshman's  button. 


Family    .     .    Sericostomatid^ 
Genus      .     .     Notidohia 
Species    .     .     ciliaris 
Spurs,  2.2.4. 

Plate  X 

Notidohia  ciliaris  is  a  black  caddis-fly  com-  NotidoMa 
mon  on  most  rivers,  and  closely  akin  to  Serico-  ""'*"^' 
stoma  personatum.     This  is  evidenced  both  by 


52  NOTIDOBIA   CILIARIS 

the  form  of  the  genitalia  of  the  male,  shown 
in  Fig.  23,  and  also  by  the  caddis  case,  which 
not  only  resembles  that  of  Sericostoma  so  closely 
as  to  be  almost  indistinguishable,  but  is  also 
furnished  with  a  pupal  grating  which  seems  to 
be  exactly  similar  in  general  design  and  struc- 


FiG.  23. — Genitalia  of  Notidobia  ciliaris,   S  , 
from  the  side. 


ture,  both  case  and  gratings  being  built  on  a 
slightly  smaller  scale. 

The  female  may  frequently  be  seen  carrying 
a  bunch  of  bright  yellow  eggs,  and  any  one  who 
cares  to  take  the  trouble  can  very  easily  rear 
this  insect  to  maturity  by  dropping  the  eggs 
into  a  bowl  of  water,  putting  in  plenty  of  fine 
gravel  and  sand  to  provide  material  with  which 
the  caddis  may  make  and  enlarge  its  case. 
The  period  of  development  from  the  egg  to- 
maturity  is  roughly  twelve  months. 


GOERA    PILOSA  53 


Family    .     .     Sericostomatidj]: 
Genus      .     .     Goera 
Species    .     .    pilosa 

Spurs,  2.4.4. 

Plate  X 
Goera  pilosa  is  a  yellowish -brown  caddis-fly  Goera  piiosi 
which  occurs  plentifully  on  most  chalk-streams 
throughout  the  summer.    The  maxillary  palpus 


Fig.  24. — Goera  pilosa ,  S  .     Maxillary  palpus. 

of  the  male  is  so  peculiarly  formed  that  I  give 
a  drawing  of  it  in  Fig.  24. 

The  male  insect  is  further  characterised  by  a 
coronet  of  strong  spines  on  the  sixth  ventral 
segment.    The  genitalia  are  shown  in  Fig.  25. 


Family    .     .    Sericostomatid^e 
Genus      .     .     Silo 
Species    .     .     nigricornis 
Spurs,  2.4.4. 

Silo  nigricornis  is  a  very  dark  brown,  rather  siio  nigri- 
small    insect,    fairly    plentiful  on   most    trout  ^°™^' 
streams.     Like  the  previous  species,  it  carries 


54 


THE    GRANNOM 


a  coronet  of  spines  on  the  sixth  ventral  seg- 
ment. The  maxillary  palpi  are  short,  hairy, 
and  upturned,  and  the  genitaha  are  shown  in 


Fig,  25. — Genitalia  of  Goera  pilosa,  6  % 
from  above. 


Fig.  26.— Genitalia  of  Silo 
nigricornis ,  6  ,  from  above. 


Fig.  26.     A  fly  very  similar  in  general  characters 
soopaiupes.  but  Still  Smaller  is  Silo  pallipes,  which  occurs 
plentifully  on  the  Dove  and  other  rivers. 


Family    .     .    Sericostomatid^ 
Genus      .     .     Brachycentrus 
Species     .     .     subnubilus 
Spurs,  2.3.3. 

Plate   XI 


Brachy- 
centrus 


The  grannom  {Brachycentrus  suhmibilus)  is 
subnubilus,  a  fly  of  valuc  to  the  trout  fisherman,  partly  in 
thepran-      tempting  big  fish  to  come  to  the  surface,  but 


ROW. 


PLATE  11. 


THK  GRANNOM  {Brachycentrus  subnubihts) 


Egg  sac 


Sacs  expanded 


Young  larva' 


I,arva?  nearly  full  grown 

Pupal  case 

Female,  with  egg  sac 


PLATE  II, 


1 


THE    GRANNOM 


55 


chiefly  in  providing  an  immense  quantity  of 
food  for  the  trout  at  the  season  when  they  require 
it  most — i.e.  quite  early  in  the  spring  in  south- 
country  streams.  It  goes  without  saying  that 
the  fish  feed  freely  on  it  in  all  its  stages — larva, 
nymph,  and  winged.  On  some  rivers,  notably 
the  Kennet,  the  grannom  makes  its  appear- 
ance towards  the  middle  of  April  in  extraordi- 


FlG.  27. — Larvae  oi  Brachycentrus  subnubilus  (grannom)  emerging 
from  the  eggs,  from  a  microscope  preparation. 

nary  abundance,  and  on  this  river  I  have  seen 
the  water  covered  from  bank  to  bank  with 
the  discarded  pupal  shucks.  On  the  Tummel 
in  the  Scottish  Highlands  the  fly  is  not  so 
early,  and  may  be  expected  towards  the  end 
of  May  or  even  the  beginning  of  June. 

The  artificial  pattern  is  usually  a  copy  of 
the  female  insect,  which,  towards  the  period 


56    OVIPOSITION    OF   THE    GRANNOM 

of  oviposition,  carries  at  the  oviducts  an 
oval  bunch  of  bluish-green  eggs  enveloped  in 
a  gelatinous  substance  which  adheres  to  the 
weeds  and  stones,  and  expands  considerably  on 
contact  with  the  water.  This  egg  mass  is  lodged 
in  a  cavity  formed  by  the  turning  inwards  of 
the  last  two  or  three  segments  of  the  abdomen. 


Fig.  28. — Genitalia,  of  Brachycentrus  suBnuHlus,  S 
(grannom),  from  beneath. 


The  female,  when  the  eggs  are  fully  ex- 
truded, probably  descends  into  the  water  to 
deposit  them  by  climbing  down  some  post  or 
weed  stem,  and  possibly  never  rises  to  the  surface 
again.  I  do  not  remember  ever  having  captured 
or  seen  a  female  voided  of  eggs,  and  in  my 
aquarium  I  have  found  individuals  attached 
to  the  weed  several  inches  below  the  surface  of 
the  water,  and  quite  dead. 


GRANNOM  LARV^ 


57 


The  first  act  of  the  larva  on  emerging  from 
the  egg  is  to  make  itself  a  case,  quadrilateral 
in  shape,  and  composed  of  vegetable  matter. 
Some  I  bred  in  a  glass  jar  containing  neither 
weed  nor  river  soil  made  their  first  cases  of 
the  discarded  egg  skins,  fatUe  de  mieux.     I  give 


Skii^-^. 


Fig.  29.— Pupal  grating  of  Brachycentrus  suhmtbilus. 
The  grannom. 


an  illustration  of  a  group  of  larvae  just  emerged 
or  emerging  from  the  eggs  in  Fig.  27,  and  the 
male  genitalia  of  the  adult  fly  are  shown  in 
Fig.   28.      I   also   give  a  figure  of  the  pupal 


58  LEPIDOSTOMA    HIRTUM 

grating,  which  differs  in  form  from  that  of 
Sericostoma  and  Notidohia,  but  is  closely  akin 
in  the  nature  of  the  material  used  and  the 
general  plan  of  the  perforated  plate  (Fig  29). 


Family 

.     .    Sericostomatid^ 

Genus 

.     .     Lepidostoma 

Species 

.     .    hirtum 

Spurs,  2.4.4. 

Lepidostoma  Sometimes  mistaken  for  the  grannom  is  the 
allied  insect  Lepidostoma  hirtum.  The  caddis 
case  is  also  quadrilateral   and  made  of  vege- 


FiG.  30. — GcmiaWsi  oi  Lepidostoma  hirtum ,  <J  , 
from  above. 

table  matter .  The  shape  is,  however,  much  more 
decided,  and  the  case  is  longer  and  more  taper- 
ing.   The  female  also  carries  a  bunch  of  green 


ODONTOCERUM    ALBICORNE        59 

eggs,  but  this  egg  mass  is  rounded,  and  the  insect 
itself  bears  little  resemblance  to  the  grannom, 
besides  differing  in  the  spur  formula. 

I  give  a  figure  of  the  male  genitalia,  which 
show  a  further  difference  in  the  arrangement 
of  the  various  sexual  organs  (Fig.  30).  Lepido- 
stoma  hirtum  occurs  much  later  in  the  season, 
on  the  Test  about  August  or  September. 


Family    .     .    Odontocerid^ 
Genus      .     .     Odontocerum 
Species     .     .     albicorne 
Spurs,  2.4.4. 

Plate  XII 

McLachlan  placed   Odontocerum  albicorne  in  odonto- 
the  family  of  the  Leptocerid^,  but  states  that  aMcome. 
the  genus  is  highly  specialised,  and  that  he  had  ^"^^^  '^''^^• 
seen  no   extra  European   form.     He   suggests 
that  it  might  well  be  removed  from  the  Lepto- 


Fig.  31. — Odontocerum  albicorne,  S  ,  portion  of 
antenna,  highly  magnified. 

ceridcB,  and  Ulmer  has  adopted  his  suggestion. 
It  is  a  large,  greyish  caddis-fly  with  stout,  white, 
toothed  antennae,  from  which  the  name  is 
derived,  and  is  a  striking-looking  insect,  quite 
common  both  on  the  Test  and  the  Dove.  The 
antennae  are  so  peculiar  in  appearance  that  I 


6o       THE    BROWN    SILVERHORNS 

give  a  drawing  of  a  portion  of  one  of  them, 
much  enlarged.  It  will  be  seen  that  the 
toothed  appearance  is  due  to  the  presence 
and  arrangement  of  strong  hairs  arising  from 
a  slight  swelling  towards  the  middle  of  each 
joint  (Fig.  31). 


Family     .     .     LEPTOCERiDiE 
Genus      .     .     Leptocerus 
Species     .     .     cinereus 
Spurs,  2.2.2. 

Plate  XII 

Leptocems       Lepfoccrus  ciuereus  is  the  brown  silverhorns 
browir'      of  the  trout  fisherman,   and  is  abundant  on 

silverboms. 


Fig.  32. — GtmiiVxdiO^  Leptocerus  cinereus,  S 
from  the  side. 


most  rivers.  On  the  Thames  it  occurs  in 
countless  numbers,  and  on  still  summer  even- 
ings may  be  seen  across  the  river  from  bank  to 


PLATE  12. 


CADDIS  FIvIES 


Odontocerum  alibcorne  (female) 
The  grey  sedge 


Leptocerus  cinereits  (male) 
The  brown  silverhoms 


Mystacides  azurea  Mystacides  longicornis 

(male)  (male) 

The  black  silverhoms  The  grouse  wing 


PLATE  12 


i       t 


THE    BLACK    SILVERHORNS        6i 

bank.  The  flight  of  the  silverhorns  is  charac- 
teristic and  takes  the  form  of  a  rapid  approach 
right  up  to  the  bank,  followed  by  an  equally 
rapid  departure,  progress  being  made  up  stream 
or  down  during  the  performance  of  these 
evolutions.  The  male  genitalia  are  shown  in 
Fig.  32. 

Another   species   of   Leptocerus   occurs   very  Leptocerus 
plentifully   on    the    Test,    namely,   Leptocerus  ^ 
albifrons,  which  is  chocolate  in  colour  with  white 
markings,  and  probably  also  passes  under  the 
popular  name  brown  silverhorns. 


Family    .    .    Leptocerid^ 
Genus      .     .     Mystacides 
Species     .     .     azurea 
Spurs,  0.2.2. 

Plate  XII 

Mystacides  azurea  is  one  of  three  caddis-flies  Mystacides 
passing  under  the  name  of  black  silverhorns,  wS*' 
the    other    two    being  Mystacides    nigra    and  ^^^^®'^^°^^^- 
Leptocerus  aterrimus. 

When  at  rest,  the  long  hairy  palpi  are  bent 
round  towards  each  other,  and  pressed  against 
the  sedge  on  which  the  insect  has  settled,  giving 
it  somewhat  the  appearance  of  being  in  posses- 
sion of  a  fourth  pair  of  legs.  The  wings  are  of  a 
deep  metallic  blue  colour,  with  an  apparent 
incision  in  the  upper  and  lower  edges  of  the 
anterior  wings,  which  allows  of  the  extreme 
ends    being    somewhat    turned    inwards.     An 


62        THE   BLACK    SILVERHORNS 

interesting  character  of  the  genus  is  the  pre- 
sence of  a  row  of  minute  hooks  attached  to  the 


>^^'^^cS-^^"^^'5--^2^'^'^^ 


Fig.  33. — Hooks  connecting  the  anterior  and  posterior 
wings  of  Mystacides  nigra. 

Upper   edge    of    the    posterior    wing    towards 
the   extremity,  and   fitting   into    a   groove   in 

the     anterior    wings. 

This  is  illustrated  in 

Fig.  33. 

It  is  probable  that 
the  hooks  lock  the 
wings  together  when 
the  insect  is  flying, 
and  give  extra  sus- 
taining power  to 
these  active  little 
flies.  These  hooks 
are  not  confined  to 
Mystacides,  but  occur 
in  many  other  genera 

Fig.  xi. — Genitalia  of  A/y-^^<Z'     -l    j.t-     t^  i 

«v/«^:^ra.  cJ.  from  above,      both    European    and 

extra -European. 
The  male  genitalia  of  Mystacides  nigra  are 
shown  in  Fig.  34. 


THE   GROUSE-WING  63 

Family    .     .     LEPTOCERiDiE 
Genus       .     .     Mystacides 
Species     .     .     longicornis 
Spurs,  0.2.2. 

Plate  XII 

Mystacides  longicornis  is  known  in  the  north  Mystacides 
as  the  grouse- wing,  from  the  close  resemblance  groSsT-wing. 
that  the  colours  and  markings  of  the  wings  bear 
to  some  of  the  grouse  feathers.  It  frequents 
still  waters,  such  as  canals  and  reservoirs,  and 
in  such  localities  occurs  in  considerable  abund- 
ance towards  August  and  September.  I  have 
found  it  on  the  canal  at  Newbury,  on  the  Hythe 
military  canal,  on  some  ponds  at  Great  Missen- 
den,  and  on  a  lake  in  the  immediate  neighbour- 
hood of  the  Test. 

Family     .     .     Hydropscyhid^ 
Genus      .     .     Hydropsyche 
Species     .     .     instabilis. 
Spurs,  2.4.4. 

Plate  XIII 

Hydropsyche  instabilis  belongs  to  a  group  Hydrop- 
of  caddis-flies  which  come  out  of  their  hiding-  KtabUis. 
places  in  bright  weather  and  dance  about  in 
clouds  in  the  sunlight.  The  eaves  of  fishing- 
huts  form  favourite  places  for  such  gatherings. 
During  May  and  June  numbers  of  two  other 
species,  H.  guttata  and  H.  pellucidula,  are 
usually  to  be  seen,  the  last  named  being  the 


64 


HYDROPSYCHE   SPECIES 


largest  of  the  three,  and  guttata  perhaps  the 
most  abundant  on  the  Test.     I  show  the  geni- 


FiG.  2S-—^^^^^^^^oi  Hydropsyche guttata,   6. 
A.  from  above.  b.  from  the  side. 

talia  of  this  last-named  fly  in  Fig.  35,  and  the 
neuration  of  the  wings  is  illustrated  in  Fig.  i 
on  p.  II. 


Polycentro- 
pus  flavo 
inaculatus. 


Family    .     .    Polycentropid.e 
Genus      .     .     Polycentropus 
Species     .     .     flavomaculatus 
Spurs.  3.4.4. 

A  description  is  given  with  a  drawing  of  the 
genitalia  of  this  little  caddis-fly,  on  account  of 
its  great  abundance  in  almost  every  river. 
Quite  small,  it  is  very  active,  and  runs  about 
during  the  daytime  up  and  down  the  stems 
of  grasses  by  the  edge  of  the  water.  The 
wings  are  dark  brown  spotted  with  gold,  and 
the  thorax  is  densely  clothed  with  Hght-coloured 
hairs.  The  male  genitalia  are  shown  in  Fig.  36. 
Other  species  belonging  to  this  genus  are  kingi 
and  muUiguttatus. 


PLATE  13. 


CADDIS  FLIKv^ 


Pupal  case 
Larva  Pupa 


Female 

Rhyacophila  dorsalis 


Philopotamus  montanus 
(female) 


Hydropsyche  instahilis  Chimarrha  marginata 

(female)  (female) 


PLATE  13. 


f 


I 


^-t~ 


PHILOPOTAMUS    MONTANUS        63 


Family    .     .     PniLOPOTAMiDiE 
Genus      .     .     Philopotamus 
Species     .     .    montanus 
Spurs,  2.4.4. 

Plate  XIII 

I  have  placed  a  figure  of  Philopotamus  mon-  Phiiopo 
tanus  on  Plate  XIII,  chiefly  to  show  that  the  m^'tLus. 
Trichoptera  are  not  all  studies  in  sober  browns 


Fig.  36. — Genitalia,  of  Polycgntropusjlavomaculaius,  <J, 
from  the  side. 


and  greys.  Some  exotic  species  are  beautifully 
marked,  their  colouring  even  embracing  crimson. 
Philopotamus  montanus  will  no  doubt  remain 
unknown  to  the  chalk-stream  fisher,  but  it  is 
to  be  found  by  the  Dove  in  Derbyshire,  in 
Devonshire,  on  many  of  the  Welsh  rivers  and 
streams,  and  I  have  taken  it  on  the  Highland 
river,  the  Tummel . 

£ 


66  CHIMARRHA    MARGINATA 


Family     .     .     PniLOPOTAMiDiE 
Genus       .     .     Chimarrha 
Species     .     .     marginata 
Spurs,  1.4.4. 

Plate   XIII 

Chimarrha  marginata  is  a  pretty  little  sedge, 
with  a  colouring  of  dark  brown  and  bright 
yeUow.  It  is  plentiful  on  the  Test,  particularly 
so  where  the  stream  runs  at  a  fast  pace  over 
mossy  boulders.  So  brightly  coloured  is  this 
insect  that  it  might  well  be  mistaken  for  a 
moth  (a  caddis-fly  being  usually  more  subdued 
in  appearance),  did  not  the  magnifying  glass 
reveal  the  presence  of  hairs  on  the  wings  in 
lieu  of  the  scales  of  a  lepidopteron. 


Family    .     .    Rhyacophilid-E 
Genus      .     .     Rhyacophila 
Species     .     .     dorsalis 
Spurs,  3.4.4. 

Plate   XIII 

Rhyacophua  RhyacopMla  dorsalis  is  one  of  the  commonest 
dorsalis.  ^^  ^-^^  British  caddis-flies,  being  found  on  almost 
every  river  from  April  right  through  spring, 
summer,  and  autumn.  Occasionally  males  are 
found  wiih  green  bodies,  but  this  seems  to  be 
a  mere  "  sport."  It  is  noteworthy  that  the 
larvae  of  the  RhyacophilidcB  make  themselves 


AGAPETUS    FUSCIPES  67 

cocoons  when  pupating,  and  the  cocoon  of 
darsalis  is  shown  on  Plate  XIII.  The  larva,  until 
about  to  pupate,  does  not  make  a  fixed  case, 
but  has  a  home  close  at  hand,  to  which  it  ma}^ 


Fig.  37. 

Genitalia  of  Rhyacophila  dor- 

T^        11.  suits,   ^ ,  from  the  side. 

Dorsal  plate.  " 

retreat  in  time  of  need.  The  genitalia  of  the 
male  appear  in  Fig.  37,  and  I  have  removed 
one  of  the  long  side  pieces  in  order  to  show  the 
arrangement  of  the  interior  parts. 

Family    ,     .     Rhyacophilid^ 
Genus      .     .    Agapetus 
Species     .     .    fuscipes 
Spurs,  2.4.4. 

Agapetus  fuscipes  is  a  small  dark  brown  Agapetu- 
sedge,  which  on  some  rivers  occurs  in  great  *"^^'p®^' 
quantities.  On  the  Lambourne  and  the  Dever 
caddis  cases  of  the  pupae,  formed  of  little  clumps 
of  stones  attached  to  larger  stones  or  to  pieces 
of  wood,  almost  completely  cover  parts  of  the 
river  bed.     The  male  has  a  horny  plate-like 


68  GLOSSOSOMA    VERNALE 

spur  projecting  from  the  sixth  ventral  segment. 
The  genitalia  are  shown  in  Fig.  38. 

Another  species  belonging  to  this  genus  is 


Fig.  38.— Genilaiia  of  Agapetusfuscipes,  S 
from  above. 


Agapetus      comatus,  which  is  present  in  great  numbers  on 
'^^     *      the  Test  throughout  the  season . 


Glossosoma 
vernale. 


Family     .     .     RHYACOPHiLiDiE 
Genus      .     .     Glossosoma 
Species     .     .    vernale 
Spurs.  2.4.4. 

Glossosoma  vernale  occurs  plentifully  on  the 
Dove,  and  may  be  recognised  by  a  peculiarity 
in  the  wings  of  the  male.  At  the  base  are  two 
semicircular  raised  processes,  termed  callosities  ; 
these  are  also  present,  in  the  only  other  British 


GLOSSOSOMA   VERNALE 


69 


Species,  holtoni.     As  in  Agapeitis  fuscipes,  the 
male   carries   a  spoon-shaped   plate   extended 


-A 


Fig.  39. — Genitalia  of  Glossosome  vernale,  6  • 
from  the  side. 


from  the  sixth  ventral  segment.     Fig.  39  shows 
the  outline  of  the  male  genitalia. 


PART   IV 

The  Perlid^,!  &c. 

I  HA\^  now  disposed  of  the  two  divisions 
of  the  insect  world  with  which  the  trout  fisher- 
man is  mainly  concerned,  the  Ephemerid^  and 
the  Trichpptera,  and  there  remain  a  few  flies 
belonging  to  various  groups  which  must  not 
be  omitted  from  this  book.  The  most  im- 
portant are  the  Perlid.e  or  stone-flies.  With 
the  exception  of  a  few  of  the  smaller  species, 
they  are  not  abundant  on  chalk-streams,  but 
are  plentiful  on  rivers  of  other  type.  Perlid.e, 
as  a  general  rule,  require  a  cold  temperature, 
and  are  more  plentiful  in  the  highlands  than  in 
low-lying  plains.  Suffice  it  to  state  that  on 
our  chalk-streams  the  only  species  occurring  in 
any  quantities  are  Leiidra  geniculata,  Leiictra 
klapdleki,  Chloroperla  grammatica,  Nemoiira 
inconspiciia,  and  Perlodes  microcephala,  of  which 
the  first  two  pass  under  the  name  of  the 
willow  fly  ;  the  third,  the  yellow  sally ;  and  the 
last,  the  stone-fly.  I  have  taken  stray  speci- 
mens of  Nemoura  variegata,  which  frequents 
lakes  and  still  or  sluggish  ditches  ;  but  it   is 

'  Modern  writers  are  inclined  to  remove  the  Perlid^ 
from  the  Neuroptera  and  classify  them  as  a  distinct 
order,  the  Plecoptera. 


PLATE  14. 


STONE  FI.IE^ 


Perla  maxima^  larva 
The  creeper 


Perlodes  microcephala  Perlodes  microcephala 

(male)  (female) 


PLATE  14. 


PERLODES    MICROCEPHALA         71 

quite  the  exception  to  meet  with  other  species 
than  the  five  first  named  on  chalk-streams. 

A  vast  Order  upon  which  the  dry-fly  fisher- 
man occasionally  draws  is  the  Diptera — two- 
winged  flies,  bred  both  on  land  and  in  water ; 
a  small  Family,  the  Sialid^,  furnishes  the 
alder  {Sialis  lutaria),  which  has  become  a  siaiis 
much-respected  trout-fly — partly  from  its  pre-  the^aider. 
sence  in  immense  numbers  on  the  bank,  giving 
rise  to  the  impression  that  as  many  must  be 
present  on  the  water  ;  and  partly  from  the 
resemblance  that  the  artificial  fly  bears  to 
many  types  of  Trichoptera  or  caddis-flies, 
when  fished  dry,  or  to  shrimps,  minnows,  and 
other  aquatic  forms  of  life  when  wet. 


Family    .     .     Perlid^e 

Genus      .     .     Perlodes  [Dictyopteryx)       '  ' 

Species    .     .    microcephala 

Plate   XIV 

The    only   large   stone-fly    at    all    abundant  perlodes 
on  our  chalk- streams  is  Perlodes  microcephala.  ™pha'ia. 
I   have  found   it    in   plenty   along  the   banks 
of    the    Kennet,    hiding    during    the   daytime 
under  the  loose  bark  of  trees  and  in  chinks  and 
crannies  of  fencing  bordering  the  river. 

It  is  rather  smaller  than  the  large  stone-fly 
(Perla  maxima  and  P.  cephalotes)  of  north- 
country  streams,  and  may  be  distinguished 
further  by  the  arrangement  of  the  markings  of 
the  head  and  thorax.     The  male  has  short  rudi- 


72  THE    STONE-FLIES 

mentary  wings,  and  is  incapable  of  flight.  The 
perlodes  only  other  Perlodes  found  in  this  country  is  reda, 
which  is  very  similar  in  general  appearance, 
but  smaller,  and  with  a  somewhat  differently 
shaped  head,  besides  being  marked  differently 
on  the  head  and  thorax. 


Family    .     .    Perlid^e 
Genus      .     .     Perla 
Species    .     .    maxima 

Plate   XIV 

Perla  The  nymphs  or  larvae  of  Perla  maxima  (the 

Sl^ne.     stone-fly    of    the    North)    with   those    of    P. 
^y-  cephalotes,   a  closely  allied  species,   share  the 

The  creeper,  fisherman's  name,    "creeper,"  and    are  fished 


Fig.  40. — Perla  maxima,  9  ,  hind  wing. 

with   deadly  effect   on  north-country  streams 
at  suitable  times  of  the  year. 

The  two  species  are  very  much  alike,  both 
in  size  and  in  colour.  Mr.  Morton  has  pointed 
out  that  the  female  insects  may  be  separated  by 
the  examination  of  the  posterior  wings,  where 


PLATE  15. 


STONE  FLIES 


Chloroperla  grammatica  Tcemopteryx  nebulosa 

(female)  (female) 

The  yellow  sally  The  February  red 


Leuctra  geniciilata 
The  willow  flv 


Female  Male 

Nemoura  meyeri 
The  eailv  brown 


PLATE  15. 


THE    YELLOW    SALLY  73 

a  small  nervure,  absent  in  maxima,  is  usually 
to  be  found  in  cephalofes.     It  must  be  noted,  Peria 
however,   that   neuration   is   very   variable   in  *^^^  ^  °  ^^* 
all    the    Perlid^,    and    that    this    is    not    a 


Fig.  41. — PerIa  cepAaloies,  9  ,  hind  wing. 

constant  character.  I  give  drawings  of  the 
posterior  wings  of  each  species  in  Figs.  40 
and  41  respectively. 

The  stone-fly  is  frequently  and  erroneously 
termed  mayfly  in  the  north. 


Family      .     .    PERLiDiE 
Genus       .     .     Chloroperla 
Species      .     .    grammatica 

Plate   XV 

Chloroperla  grammatica,  the  yellow  sally,  is  chioroperia 
one  of  the  few  Perlid^  really  abundant  on  the  fhe^Siow*' 
Test  ;    on  other  chalk-streams  I  have  found  it  ^^^^' 
in  far  smaller  numbers.     It  may  be  recognised 
by  its  yellowish-green  colour,  its  characteristic 
PERLiDiE  shape,  together  with  the  presence  of 


74  THE   WILLOW    FLY 

two  setae  or  whisks.  Mr.  Halford  states  that 
he  has  never  found  it  in  the  autopsies  of  trout 
killed  by  him  ;  so  presumably  it  is  not  accept- 
able to  chalk-stream  trout.  Possibly,  however, 
in  other  parts  of  the  country,  where  insect 
food  is  less  abundant,  it  may  be  better  appre- 
ciated. The  fact  that  a  popular  name  has  been 
bestowed  upon  it  points  to  anglers  having  found 
the  imitation  of  service.  The  yellow  sally  is 
often  confused  with  the  yellow  may  dun,  one 
of  the  Ephemerid^,  quite  different  in  appear- 
ance, except  in  colour. 

Family  .  .  Perlid^ 
Genus  .  .  Isopteryx 
Species     .     .    torrentium  and  tripundata 

Isopteryx  Two  Small  ycllowish  stone-flies,  having  the 
tOTentium  appg^rance  of  diminutive  yellow  sallys,  will  be 
trij'unctata.  knowu  to  most  fishermen  who  frequent  rocky 
trout  streams.  These  are  Isopteryx  torrentium 
and  Isopteryx  tripunctata.  The  two  species  are 
so  nearly  alike  that  it  requires  a  practised  eye 
to  tell  the  difference  between  them,  and  for 
angling  purposes,  one  artificial  pattern  may  well 
represent  them  both. 

Family    .     .     Perlid^ 
G^nus      .     .    Leuctra 
Species     .     .    geniculata 

Plate   XV 

Leuctra  Leiictru   geuicitlata,     the     Hampshire    willow 

Sw  fly.'    fly,  is   so  plentiful  on  the  Test  and  Itchen  in 


THE   NEMOURA   SPECIES 


75 


autumn  as  to  be  a  positive  nuisance  to  the 

fisherman.     It  settles  on  the  face  and  clothing. 

dropping    from    the     trees, 

and    eludes    removal     with 

great    agility.      The   female 

deposits  the  eggs  by  letting 

them    fall  in  a   mass   from 

some  little  height  above  the 

water.      I  give   a  figure   of 

the    genitalia    of    the    male 

insect    (Fig.    42).      Another 

species  of  Leudra   is  found 

on  the  Test  at  the  same  time 

as   geniculata — L.    klapdleki. 

It    is    smaller    and    darker 

than    geniculata,     the     true 

willow  fly,  and  the  fish  take 

it  equally  freely. 

I  give  a  drawing  of  the  wings  of  L.  hippopus, 
a  species  plentiful  on  the  river  Dove,  in  Fig.  43. 


Fig.  42. — Genitalia  of 

Leuctra  geniculata , 
<J  ,  from  above. 


Family  .  .  Perlid^ 
Genus  .  .  Nemoura 
Species     .     .    meyeri 

Plate   XV 

I  give  Nemoura  meyeri  as  a  type  of  a  whole  Nemoura 
group  of  small  stone-flies  very  plentiful  on  ^^^^^^' 
streams  other  than  those  arising  from  the  chalk. 
The  genus  Nemoura  has  a  Greek-cross-like  con- 
figuration of  nervures  in  the  wings,  which  is 
shown  in  the  Plate.  I  have  heard  Nemoura 
meyeri  described  as  the  early    brown,   but   I 


76 


THE   FEBRUARY   RED 


Early 
brown. 


fancy  it  shares  this  name  with  several  of  the 
smaller  stone-flies  which  appear  in  spring.  As 
mentioned  previously.  I  have  taken  Nemowa 


Pig.  43.  — Wings  of  Leuctra  hippopus^   <J . 
a.  Anterior  wing.  b.  Posterior  wing. 

Nemoura      incofispicua  Quitc  plentifully  on  the  Test,  and 

inconspicua     ,,,  ir  , 

isolated  examples  of  another  species,  Nemoura 
variegata,  on  the  Lambourne ;  but  these  resemble 
meyeri  too  closely  to  warrant  description  here. 


and 

Nemoura 

variegata. 


Family    .    .    Perlid^ 
Genus      .     .     Tceniopteryx 
Species    .     .     nebulosa 

Plate    XV 
Taeniop.  The  female  of  Tceniopieryx  nebulosa  is  known 

losMebru-*  as  the  february  red,  and  I  reproduce  it  here 

ary  red. 


THE   ALDER    '  77 

with  the  ventral  side  uppermost,  in  order  to 
show  the  characteristic  deep  orange-red  colour 
of  the  underside  of  the  abdomen.  The  male  is 
an  insignificant  little  fly,  with  long  sprawling 
legs  and  often,  but  not  always,  aborted  wings. 
r.  nehulosa  has  not  yet  been  reported  on  chalk- 
streams.     Another  species,  very  plentiful  in  the  Taeniop- 

, ,      .      ^       .    .  teryx  risi. 

north,  IS  T.  nst. 


Order  .  .  Neuroptera 

Family  .  .  Sialid^e 

Genus  .  .  Sialis 

Species  .  .  lutaria 

Plate   XVI 

Sialis  lutaria  is  the  alder  of  the  fisherman,  siaiisiutaria, 
and  occurs  in  abundance  on  the  banks  of  almost  ^  ^  ^■^' 
every  trout-stream  in  this  country.  Its  value 
to  the  fisherman  is  probably  due  to  the  re- 
semblance shown  by  his  artificial  pattern  to  the 
Welshman's  button  or  other  caddis-fiies,  for  the 
alder  itself  is  rarely  found  in  the  water,  as  it 
deposits  its  eggs  on  the  sedge,  and  the  mature 
fly  emerges  through  the  turf. 

A  second  species,  Sialis  fuliginosa,  occurs  in  siaiis 
this  country,   differing  from  S.   lutaria  in   its  ^"^'«^'^°''- 
darker  colour  (nearly  black),  and  in  the  position 
of  a  small   nervure  in  the  anterior  wings.     I 
have  taken  this  species  on  the  banks  of  the     ' 
Tummel. 


78  CHIRONOMUS    TENTANS 

Order  .  .  Diptera 

Family  .  .  CHiRONOMiDiE 

Genus  .  .  Chironomus 

Species  .  .  tentans 

Plate    XVI 

Chironomus  CMrofiomus  tentuns  has  been  brought  promi- 
nently before  the  angling  fraternity  by  Mr. 
Hugh  T.  Sheringham.  He  has  stated  that 
it  occurs  in  enormous  quantities  on  Blagdon 
reservoir,  and  that  quite  big  fish  will  feed 
upon  it.  Tentans  has  also  been  sent  to  me  from 
Lough  Arrow,  and  I  believe  it  occurs  on  a 
good  many  lakes  and  reservoirs.  At  Mr. 
Sheringham's  request  I  prepared  an  article  on 
this  fly,  which  was  published  in  the  "  Field  "  of 
10.  9.  II,  and  at  the  same  time  I  gave  the 
dressing  for  an  artificial  pattern,  which  I  believe 
has  been  quite  successfully  used  on  Blagdon 
waters.  C.  tentans  appears  in  all  the  warmer 
months,  generally  after  sunset. 

Chironomus  CMfonomus  viHdis,  which  also  occurs  at  Blag- 
don, is  a  somewhat  smaller  fly  with  an  emerald- 
green  body.  It  appears  in  even  greater  numbers 
than  tentans,  and  at  times  is  so  plentiful  that 
the  swarms  of  insects  have  the  appearance  of  a 
heavy  mist  over  the  neighbouring  fields,  but  it 
does  not  seem  to  be  so  regular  or  frequent  at 
Blagdon  as  the  other  species.  It  has  been  seen 
plentifully  in  September.  Viridis,  when  it  does 
appear,  is  much  appreciated  by  the  trout,  as  is 
evidenced  by  the  large  numbers  of  the  winged 


viridis. 


PLATE  16. 


VARIOUS  FUKS 


Sialis  lutayia 
The  alder 


Male  Female 

Chironomus  tentans 


Myrmica  rubra  Anisomera  burmeisleri 

The  brown  ant  The  gravel  bed 


PLATE  16 


THE    GRAVEL    BED  79 

fly  as  well  as  of  the  pupae  found  in  autopsies 
when  the  fly  is  "  on." 


Order  .  .  Diptera 

Family  .  .  Llmnobid^ 

Genus  .  .  Anisomera 

Species  .  .  hurmeisteri 

Plate    XVI 

It  is  with  some  hesitation  that  I  have  included  The 
an  account  of  the  gravel   bed  amongst  these  Somera 
brief  notes  on  the  trout  fisherman's  flies.     Per-  ^''''^^'^^^''• 
sonally  I  have   never  met  with   it   alive,  and 
know  nothing  about  its  habits  from  my  own 
observation.     I  am  told  that  it  is  to  be  found 
in  great  numbers  at  certain  times  and  in  cer- 
tain seasons  on  the  dry  gravel  banks  that  form 
in  the  bed  of  rivers  which  it  frequents,  and  that 
the  trout  will  feed  upon  it  greedily.     Just  as 
this  work  was  nearing  completion,  two  corre- 
spondents sent  me  the  insect  they  knew  as  the 
gravel  bed,  and  these  specimens  were  similar 
to  a  fly  sent  me  some  years  ago  by  a  third 
correspondent  under  the  same  popular  name. 

The  independent  testimony  of  my  three 
friends  seemed  a  sufficiently  safe  indication 
that  I  had  the  real  gravel  bed  before  me.  I 
therefore  sent  specimens  to  Mr.  E.  E.  Austen 
of  the  Natural  History  Museum,  one  of  the 
leading  authorities  on  the  Diptera,  and  he,  with 
his  usual  kindness,  gave  the  matter  his  per- 


8o  OTHER   DIPTERA 

sonal  attention,  and  informed  me  of  the  scientific 
name  given  above. 

Other  dipterous  flies,  to  which  anglers  have 
ascribed  popular  names,  may  be  mentioned — 
Black  gnat,  the  black  gnat,  the  hawthorn  fly,  and  the 
oak  fly  or  down-looker.  The  black  gnat,  as  its 
name  implies,  is  a  small  dark  fly,  differing  in 
no  very  marked  respect  from  many  others  taken 
by  fish  when  smutting.  Its  scientific  name  is 
Bihio  johannis. 

Closely  related  to  it,  but  much  larger,  is  the 
Hawthorn  hawthom  fly  {B.  marci).  The  oak  fly  is  usually 
Oak  fly.  to  be  fouud  on  the  trunks  of  trees,  standing 
head  downwards — the  characteristic  attitude 
that  gives  it  the  second  popular  name.  Its 
scientific  name  is  Leptis  scolopacea.  Why  these 
last  two  flies  have  been  adopted  by  anglers  as 
"  trout  flies  "  has  always  been  rather  a  puzzle 
to  me,  as  both  kinds  are  far  more  plentiful  on 
land  than  on  water ;  but  no  doubt  at  times 
they  get  blown  on  to  the  stream,  and  are  wel- 
comed by  the  trout  as  an  inviting  if  unexpected 
addition  to  the  larder. 

The  names  are  enrolled  amongst  the  patterns 
popular  in  the  early  days  of  fly  nomenclature  ; 
and  in  Devonshire  the  hawthorn  has  a  short 
season  of  its  own  amongst  fly-fishers,  about  the 
time  when  the  May  blooms. 


THE   BROWN    ANT  8l 


Order 

.     .     Hymenoptera 

Family 

.      .      MYRMICID.E 

Genus 

.     .     Myrmica 

Species 

.     .    rubra,    Linn.    {Icevinodis, 

Nyl.) 

Plate   XVI 

The  brown  ant  needs  no  description  supple-  Brown  ani 
mental  to  the  figure  given.  It  is  an  uncertain 
fly  for  the  fisherman,  but  when  it  does  appear 
on  the  water  its  numbers  are  usually  sufficient 
to  cause  a  veritable  orgie  amongst  the  trout. 
In  the  Hebrides,  sea-trout  have  been  found  to 
take  it  freely  when  it  has  been  blown  on  to  the 
water.  M.  Icevinodis  is  one  of  six  races  of 
M.  rubra,  the  only  European  species  native  in 
our  country.  Most  of  the  races  are  common, 
especially  one  named  scalerinodis,  Nyl^nder, 
according  to  the  late  Mr.  Edward  Saunders. 


PART   V 

Lists  of  described  British  Ephemeridje, 
Trichoptera,  and  Perlid^ 

The  lists,  as  the  title  indicates,  contain  all 
the  known  species  of  British  EPHEMERiDiE, 
Trichoptera,  and  Perlid^.  Roman  figures  op- 
posite individual  species  indicate  the  months 
during  which  they  occur  on  the  Hamp- 
shire Test  and  the  Derbyshire  Dove.  I  have 
selected  these  rivers  as  being  typical  of  two 
distinct  classes  of  streams  on  which  dry-fly 
fishing  is  practised.  It  should  be  noted,  how- 
ever, that  I  am  only  dealing  with  flies  that 
have  actually  passed  through  my  hands ;  and 
the  absence  of  any  record  of  a  particular  species 
must  be  understood  to  indicate  merely  that 
this  fly  has  not  been  captured  and  sent  to  me 
for  identification  from  either  of  the  rivers  here 
dealt  with.  The  majority  of  species  recorded 
from  the  Dove  were  sent  by  Mr.  John  Hender- 
son, and  his  son,  Mr.  Jack  Henderson,  ^f  Clifton, 
Ashbourne.  With  the  single  exception  of 
Ephemera  vulgata,  which  has  been  recorded  by 
Mr.  Eaton,  all  the  flies  indicated  as  occurring 


LISTS   OF   BRITISH   FLIES  83 

on  the  Test  have  been  observed  by  myself. 
Three  columns  have  been  left  blank  in  case 
fishermen  should  care  to  make  a  record  of  the 
flies  appearing  on  their  own  trout  waters  or  other 
fisheries  in  which  they  may  be  interested,  and 
at  the  end  of  the  book  a  few  blank  pages  and 
plates  have  been  inserted  for  readers*  own  notes 
and  sketches. 


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INDEX 


Abdomen  of  insects,  lo 
Adtcella,  20,  95 

—  filicornis,  95 

—  reducta,  95 
Mquipalpia,  i6,  93 
Agapeius,  20,  loi 

—  comatus,  68,  loi 

—  delicaiulus,  10 1 

—  fuscipes,  67-8,  loi 
Agrnylea,  20,  101 

—  multipunctata,  loi 

—  pallidula,  10 1 
Agrypnia,  20-87 

—  pageiana,  87 

—  /?/c/a,  87 
Alder,  71,  77 
Alloirichia,  20,  loi 

—  pallicornis,  10 1 
Ameletus,  14,  86 

—  inopinatus,  86 
Anabolia,  20,  89 

—  nervosa,  45,  89 
Anisocentropus,  16 
Anisomera  burmeisicri,  79 
Ant,  brown,  81 
yln/^nn^,  8 
Apaiania,  20,  91 

—  fimbriaia,  91 

—  muliebris,  91 

—  wallengreni,  91 
^synarcftMS,  20,  89 

—  ccenosus,  8g 
Autumn  dun,  36-7 

Baetis,  14,  85 

—  atrebatinus,  28,  85 

—  binoculatus,  30-1,  85 

—  buceratus,  28,  85 

—  mger,  32-3,  85 

—  pumilus,  32-3,  85 

—  rhodani,  28,  85 

—  scambus,  30-1,  8^ 

—  tenax,  28,  85 

—  vernus,  28,  85 
Bercea,  20,  96 

—  articularis,  96 

—  maurus,  96 

—  pullata,  96 


BercBodes,  20,  96 

—  minuia,  96 
Bj6io  johannis,  80 

—  marci,  80 
Black  gnat,  80 
Blue-winged  olive,  34-5,  84, 
Books  on  Ephemerfda.  12 

—  Trichoptera,  12 
Brackycenirus,  20,  93 

—  subnubilus,  54-8,  93 

—  —  pupal  grating  of,  57 
Brown  ant,  81 

Caddis  flies,  40-69,  87-102 
Ccenis,  13,  85 

—  dimidiata,  33,  85 

—  halterata,  33-4,  85 

—  harrisella,  33,  85 

—  rivulorum,  33,  85 
Caperer,  47-8,  90 
Capnia  atra,  103 

—  nigra,  103 

Cement  for  mounting  insects  in 

formalin  cells,  5 
Centroptilum,  14,  85 

—  luieolum,  30-1,  85 

—  pennulaium,  30-1,  85 
Chcetopteryx,  20,  91 

—  villosa,  46-7,  91 

—  —  pupal  grating  of,  46 
Characters  of  the  Families  of  the 

Trichoptera,  iy-% 
Chimarrha,  20,  100 

—  marginata,  66,  100 
Chironomus  tentans,  78 

—  viridis,  78-9 

Chloroperla  grammatica,  70,  73-4, 
103 

—  griseipennis,  103 
Cinnamon  sedge,  42-3,  88 
Claret  dun,  38-9,  84 
Classification,  7 
Cloeon,  14,  85 

—  dipterwn,  85 

—  simile,  85 

—  rufulum,  85 
Collecting  fluid,  3 

—  net,  I 


IQ"? 


io6  INDEX 


Collecting  tubes,  2 

—  water  insects,  1-4 
Colpotaulius,  20,  87 

—  incisus,  87 
Coxa,  10 
Cruncecia,  20,  93 

—  irrorata,  93 
Cyrnus,  20',  98 

—  fiavidus,  98 

—  trimaculatus,  98 

Determination  of  species,  7 
Diplectrona,  20,  97 

—  /«/t;t,  97 
Dipseudopsis,  19 
Diptera,  71,  78-80 
Down-looker,  80 
Drusus,  20,  91 

—  annulaius,  91 
Dun,  22 

Early  brown,  76,  104 

Eaton,  the  Rev.  A.  E.,  12,  23-6 

Ecdisopteryx,  20,  91 

—  guttulata,  gi 
Ecdyurus,  14,  86 

—  lateralis,  37,  86 

—  venosus,  36,  86 

—  voliians,  37,  86 
Ecn^wMS,  20,  99 

—  ienellus,  99 
Enoicyla,  20,  91 

—  pustlla,  91 
Ephemera,  13,  23-8,  84 

—  danica,  23-8,  84 

—  lineata,  23,  26-7,  84 

—  vulgata,  23-7,  82,  84 
Ephemerella,  13.  84 

—  igntto,  34-5.  84 

—  noiaia,  84 
Ephemerida,  22-39,  84-6 

—  Mr.  Eaton's  notes  on  the,  12- 
15 

—  works  on  the,  12 
Erotesis,  20,  95 

—  baliica,  95 

Examination  of  insects,  lenses  for 

the,  2 
Eyes  of  insects,  9 

Family,  a  subdivision  of  an  Order, 

Families  in  the  Trichoptera,  16 
February  red,  76-7. i04 
Femur,  10 
Formalin  solution,  2 

Genera,  subdivisions  of  a  Family,  7 
Glass  blocks  for  mounting  iqsects 
in  formalin,  4 


Glossosotna,  20,  10 1 

—  boltoni,  69,  loi 

—  vernale,  68-9,  10 1 
Glyphotalius,  20,  88 

—  peUucidus,  88 
Gotfra,  20,  92 

—  pilosa,  53.  92 

—  —  palpi  of,  53 
Grammotaulius,  20,  88 

—  niiidus,  88 
Grannom,  54-8,  93 

—  eggs  of,  56 

—  larvae  of ,  57 

—  pupal  grating  of,  57 
Gravel  bed,  79 
Great  red  spinner,  36 
Grey  sedge,  59,  93 
Grouse  wing,  63,  95 


Habrophlebia,  13,  84 

—  fusca,  84 
Halesus,  20,  90 

—  auricollis,  90 

—  digitatus,  47-8,  90 

—  guitatipennis,  90 

—  radiatus,  47-8,  90 
Hawk,  yellow,  37.  86 
Hawthorn  fly,  80 
Head  of  insect,  8 
Heptagenia,  14,  86 

—  flavipennis,  86 

—  sulphurea,  37-8,  86 
Holocentropus,  20,  98 

—  dubius,  98 

—  picicornis,  98 

—  stagnalis,  98 

Hooks  connecting  wings  of  Mysta- 

cides,  &c.,  62 
Hy dropsy che,  20,  97 

—  angustipennis,  97 

—  exocellaia,  97 

—  fulvipes,  97 

—  guttata,  63-4,  ^7 
1     —    —  wings  of,  II 

—  instabilis,  63,  97 

—  lepida,  97 

—  ornatula,  97 

—  pellucidula,  63,  97 
Hvdropsychidce,  16,  18,  97 
Hvdroptila,  20,  101-2 

—  angulata,  102 

—  femoralis,  102 

—  forcipata,  102 

—  madachlani,  102 

—  occulta,  102 

—  pulchricornis,  102 

—  simulans,  102 

—  sparsa,  101 

—  sylvestris,  102 

—  tigurina,  102 
HydroptilidcE,  16,  18,  lo^ 


INDEX 


107 


Imago  of  the  EphemeridcB,  22 
Incequipalpia,  16,  87 
Iron- blue  dun,  32-3,  85 

—  spinner,  32-3,  85 
Isogenus  nubecula,  103 
Isopteryx  torrentium,  74,  103 

—  tripunciata,  74,  103 
Ithytrichia,  20,  102 

—  lamellaris,  102 

Jenny  spinner,  32 

Labial  palpi,  8 

Labium,  8 

Labrum,  8 

Large  red  sedge,  40,  87 

Lasiocephala,  20,  93 

—  basalis,  93 
Legs  of  insects,  10 

Lenses   for   the   examination    of 

insects,  2 
Lepidostoma,  20,  93 

—  hirtum,  58,  93 
Lepiis  scolopacea,  80 
Leptoceridce,  16,  17,  94 
Leptocerus,  20,  94 

—  aibifrons,  61,  94 

—  alboguttatus,  94 

—  annulicornis,  94 

—  aterrimus,  61,  94 

—  bilineatus,  94 

—  cinereus,  60-1,  94 

—  commutatus,  94 

—  dissimilis,  94 

—  fulvus,  94 

—  nigronervosus,  94 

—  senilis,  94 
Leptophlebia,  13,  84 

—  cincta,  84 

—  marginata,  39,  84 

—  submarginata,  38,  84 

—  vesperiina,  38,  84 
Letictra  albida,  104 

—  geniculata,  70,  74-5,  lo^ 

—  hippopus,  75-6,  104 

—  inermis,  104 

—  klapdleki,  70,  74-5.  104 

—  nigra,  104 
LimnophilidcB,  16,  17,  87 
Limnophilus,  20,  88 

—  affinis,  89 

—  auricula,  89 

—  bipunciatus,  89 

—  borealis,  88 

—  centralis,  88 

—  decipiens,  88 

—  elegans,  88 

—  exiricatus,  89 

—  ftavicornis,  88 

—  fuscicornis,  89 

—  /Msanfri^ts,  88 


Limnophilus  griseus,  89 

—  hirsutus,  89 

—  ignavMS,  88 

—  lunatus,  42-3,  88 

—  —  pupal  grating  of,  43 

—  luridus,  89 

—  marmoratus,  88 

—  nigriceps,  88 

—  politus,  88 

—  rhombicus,  44,  88 

—  —  pupal  grating  of,  44 

—  sparsus,  89 

—  stigma,  88 

—  subcentralis,  88 

—  vittatus,  89 

—  xanthodes,  88 

Lists  of  described  British  Epheme- 
ridce,  Trichoptera,  and  Perlidte, 
82-104 

Ly/»«,  20,  99 

—  fragilis,  99 

—  phcBopa,  99 

—  reducta,  99 

McLachlan,  R.,  12,  19 
Mandibles,  8 
March  brown,  36,  86 
M axilla,  8 

Maxillary  palpi,  8,  16 
May-fly,  23-8,  84 
Mesophylax,  20,  90 

—  aspersus,  90 

—  impunctatus,  90 
Meso  thorax,  9 
Metathorax,  9 
Micropterna,  20,  90 

—  lateralis,  90 

—  sequax,  90 
Molanna,  20,  96 

—  angustata,  96 
— r  palpata,  96 

MolannidcB,  16,  18,  96 
Mounting  insects  in  formalin,  4-6 
Mouth  parts  of  insects,  8 
Myrmica  Icevinodis,  81 

—  rubra,  81 
Mystacides,  20,  95 

—  azurea,  61,  95 

—  longicornis,  63,  95 

—  mgra,  61-2,  95 

Needle  fly,  104 
Nemoura  avicularis,  104 

—  cambrica,  104 

—  cinerea,  104 

—  dubitans,  104 

—  inconspicua,  70,  76,  104 

—  marginata,  104 

—  meyeri,  75-6,  104 

—  prcecox,  104 

—  standfussi,  104 


io8 


INDEX 


Nemoura  variegata,  70,  76,  104 
Net,  collecting,  i 
Neiireclipsis,  20,  97 

—  bimaculata,  97 
Neuronia,  20,  87 

—  claihrata,  87 

—  ruficrus,  87 
Neuroptera,  16 
Notidobia,  20,  92 

—  ciliaris,  51-2,  92 
Nymph,  22 

Oak  fly,  80 

Ocelli,  9 

Oc«/t,  9 

OdontoceridcB,  16,  17,  93 

Odoniocerum,  20,  93 

—  albicorne,  59,  93 

—  —  antennae  of,  59-60 
CEceiis,  20,  95 

—  /wrva,  95 

—  lacusiris,  95 

—  notata,  95 

—  ochracea,  95 

—  testacea,  95 
Olive  dun,  28-9,  85 

—  spinner,  28-9 
Onimateum,  9 

Order,  a  subdivision  of  the  insect 

kingdom,  7 
Orlhotrichia,  20,  102 

—  anqustella,  102 

—  tetensii,  102 
Oxyethira,  20,  102 

—  cosialis,  102 

—  distinct  ella,  102 

—  falcata,  102 

—  /na,  102 

—  mirabilis,  102 

—  sagittifera,  102 

—  simplex,  102 

—  tristella,  102 

Pale  watery  dun,  30-1,  85 

—  —  spinner,  30-1 
Pa//>i,  8 

Pa//>i  of  Go^fa  pilosa,  53 

Sericostomapersonatum,  50 

Perla  cephalotes,  23,  72-3,  103 

—  marginata,  103 

—  wfl^wa,  23,  72-3,  103 
PerlidcB,  70-7,  103-4 
Perlodes  microcephala,  70-2,  103 

—  fcc/a,  72,  103 
Phacopteryx,  20,  89 

—  brevipennis,  89 
Philopotamidce ,  16,  18,  100 
Philopoiamiis,  20,  100 

—  montanus,  65,  100 
Phryganea,  20,  87 

—  grandis,  40-1,  87 


Phryganea  minor,  42,  87 

—  obsoleta,  42,  87 

—  striata,  40-1,  87 

—  varia,  42,  87 
Phryganeidce ,  16,  17,  87 
Plectrocnemia,  20,  98 

—  brevis,  98 

—  conspersa,  98 

—  geniculata,  98 
Polycentropidcs ,  16,  18,  97 
Polycentropus,  20,  98 

—  flavomaculatus,  64,  98 

—  kingi,  64,  98 

—  multiguttatus,  64,  98 
Potamanthus,  13,  84 

—  luteus,  84 
Preservation  of  insects,  1-6 
Preserving  fluid,  2 
Prothorax,  9 
Psychomyia,  20,  99 

—  pusilla,  99 
Psychomyidcs,  16,  18,  99 

Pupal   grating   of   Brachycentrus 

subnubilus,  57 
Pupal    grating    of     Chcetopteryx 

villosa,  46 
Pupal    grating    of    Limnophilus 

lunatus,  43 
Pupal    grating    of    Limnophilus 

rhombicus,  44 
Pupal  grating  of  Sericostoma  per- 

sonatum,  51 
Pulvillus,  10 

Red  spinner,  29 
Rhithrogena,  14,  86 

—  semicolorata,  38,  86 
Rhyacophila,  20,  100 

—  dorsalis,  66-7,  100 

—  munda,  100 

—  obltteraia,  100 

—  septentrionis,  100 
Rhyacophilidce,  16,  18,  100 

Sending  insects  by  post,  3 
Sericostoma,  20,  92 

—  analis,  49,  92 

—  multiguttatum,  49,  92 

—  per  sonatum,  49-51,  92 

—  —  pupal  grating  of,  51 
Sericostomatidce,  16,  17,  92 
Sgte,  12 

Setodes,  20,  96 

—  argentipunctella,  96 

—  interrupta,  96 

—  punctata,  96 

—  tineiformis,  96 
Sherry  spinner,  34-5 
Sialidce,  71,  77 
Sia/ts  fuliginosa,  77 

—  lutaria,  77 


INDEX 


109 


Silo,  20,  92 

—  nigfieornis,  53-4,  92 

—  —  legs  of,  21 

—  pallipes,  54,  92 
Silverhoms,  black,  61-2,  94-5 

—  brown,  60-1,  94 
Siphlurus,  14,  86 

—  lacustris,  86 

Species  of  insects,  subdivisions  oi. 

Genera,  7 
Spent  gnat,  28 
Spinner,  22 
Spurs,  10,  19,  20 
Stenophylax,  20,  89 

—  alpestris,  89 

—  dubius,  89 

—  infutnatus,  89 

—  latipennis,  90 

—  permistus,  90 

—  rotundipennis,  89 

—  stellatus,  48,  90 

—  vibex,  90 

Stone  fly,  23,  70,  72-3,  103 
Sub-imago,  22 

TcBfiiopieryx  nebulosa,  76-7,  104 

—  putata,  104 

—  mt,  77, 104 
Tarsus,  10 
Thorax,  9 
Tinodes,  20,  99 

—  assimilis,  99 


Tinodes  aureola,  99 

—  dti;«s,  99 

—  maculicornis,  99 

—  unicolor,  99 

—  wceneri,  99 
TricBnodes,  20,  95 

—  bicolor,  95 

—  conspersa,  95 

—  reuteri,  95 
Trichoptera,  16,  40-69,  87-102 

—  Books  on  the,  12 
Trochanter,  10 
Turkey  brown,  38,  84 

Ulmer,  George,  System  of  Classi- 
fication, 17 

Varnish  for  formalin  cells,  6 

Welshman's  button,  49-51.  92 
Willow  fly,  70,  74-5.  104 
Wings,  9- 1 1 

Wings  of  Hydropsyche  guttata,  it 
Wormaldia,  20,  100 

—  mediana,  100 

—  occipitalis,  100 

—  subnigra,  100 

Yellow  hawk,  37,  86 

—  may  dun,  37,  86 

—  sally,  70,  73-4,  103 

—  upright,  38,  86 


PBINTED  BT   THB   ANOHOB  PBESS  LTD.   ZIPIBEB   KBSBX  BNaL>AMI> 


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sketches. 


NOTES 


NOTES 


NOTES 


NOTES 


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